Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-03-20
Manufacture of Maple Sugar.
py lrANDrn copuRN

After few general remarks tending to
show that in the manufacture Of maple sugar
as in the manufacture Of butter and cheese
and other articles, the better the quality the
greater the profit, Mr.. Coburn proceeded with
his subject as follows:
| presume there are those here that will
disagree with nc on some points and it would
be strange if there were not, aud those that
do, hope will have chance to express their
opinions, and improve the opportunity In
the FIRST place there is but little to be said on
the subject of, or mode Of tapping the trees,
for most all ngree that it is the best way to
use a small bit 3-S or IL inch to tap with,
as the tree will yield as much sap and the
wound will grow over much quicker and the
injury to the tree is much less than it would
be to use large bit. The metallic or tin
spout is a great improvement on the old
wooden spout used after the tapping iron,
which cut broad cash through the bark,
into the wood, that took years to heal In
my fathers sugar orchard there were many
trees badly injured and some were hollow
from the effects Of one years tapping with
an axe. The man that commenced on, and
cleared up the farm, used to tap with an axe
lie would cut some four or five boxes or CASH
es, one above the other and then strike in his
axe below these gashes and put in spout as
wide as the bit of his axe. The consequence
was that in three or four years his sugar
trees would be gone, and theu he would move
his boiling works to another place and com
me.ce With another stock Of trees, which was
in my opinion poor policy, for the longer
trees are tapped the sweeter the sap becomes
This | know from my first experience in
sugar making. When | was a boy | pur.
chased one hundred sap tubs, aud commenced
sugaring on my own hook, with trees that
had never been tapped before and my broth
er older sugarcd in what we called the old
sugar place, aud we found that his sap was
nearly twice as sweet as mine. a neighbor
had sugar orchard laying BY the side of
our old sugar orchard which had not been
tapped but part of the time and his sap
was not as sweet as ours Therefore, from
the foregoing | draw the conclusion that by
continued tapping the sap becomes sweeier,
but where the extreme limit is in this drcc-
ton, know not, nor do know that it has
ever been reached.
The main points on which the quality of
sugar depends are, first, the sweetness and
cleanliness of the tubs and everything con-
nected with the sugar orchard, and without
this requisite no one can make the best quail
ity Of sugar. And | think that tin tubs are
much better than wooden ones, for tin tubs
are easier kept clean and sweet. The sap
will penetrate the wood Of the wooden tub,
and sours and dries during the last part Of
sugaring; and another advantage tin has
over wood is, you can gather the sap earlier
in the morning from the tin tubs than you
can from wooden ones. Most of the wooden
tubs are manufactured OF timber, embracing
the sap as well as the heart timber. This
sap wood sours much quicker than the heart
wood, so that heart tubs arc preferable to
those containing the sap wood notice that
some use wooden tubs painted inside and out,
aud think them preferable to tin, as they do
not warm the sap as much in sunny day as
the tin does, and will, therefore, keep the sap
longer sweet; but the facts are that sap should
not stand in any tubs any longer than one can
help, and as sap can be gathered from tin
tub whenever it is warm enough for sap to
run, and as sap will keep longer in bulk if
gathered when it is cold, than it will in the
sap tubs, it gives the tin tubs an advantage
in this direction.
Sap should be gathered and boiled as soon
as possible after it has left the trees. This
is one Of the main points, on which good or
poor sugar depends, for the longer sap stands
after il has left the tree before it is boiled,
the more color there will be to the sugar.
Sap should be strained before it is boiled to
take out all foreign substances, and in boil
ing it one should make it point to syrup
of quite often, as the continued boiling of
the same sweet for a long time will color it,
and the boiling apparatus should be con-
structed with special reference to this idea,
and the syrup should bo sugared of as soon
as it has stood sufficient time to settle, aud
it should stand in tin cans kept in cool,
dark place if possible, Sap commences to
change as soon as it leaves the tree aud
should therefore be worked up as soon as
possible, and our motto should be in making
sugar, first cleanliness, second expeditiousness
third, to get all foreign substances out of it,
and put none in, either in boiling the sap or
in sugaring of.