Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-03-20
agricultural.
Manufacture of Maple sugar.
A PAP READ At THE LATE MEETING Oh
TIE STATS BOARD OF ACRICULTURE
AT MONTPELIER.
BY ALANs y coBURN.

After few general remarks tending to
show that in the manufacture Of maple
sugar as IL 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 me on some points and il
would he strange if there were not.
and those that 90, hope Will have a chance
to express their opinions, and improve the
opportunity. In the first place there is but
little 10 be said on the subject or mode Of
tapping the trees, for most all agree that It
is the b. >. way to use a small bit 3-S or IL
inch to tap with, as the tree Will yield a.
much sap and the wound viii grow over
much quicker and the injury to the tree l.
much less than it would be u use large bit
The matalis or tin spout IS great improve
ment on the old wooden spout used after
the tapping iron, which cut a broad gasb
through the bark into the wood, that took
years 10 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 Ak. The man that
commenced on and cleared up the farm
used to tap with an ak, he would cut sOmt
four or five boxes or Lasbes, one above the
gashes and put in a spout as wide as the BIT
OF his Ak. The consequence was that H.
three or four years his sugar trees wOnld be
gone, and then ne would move his boiling
works to another place and commence witt
another stock of trees, which was in my
opinion poor policy, for the longer tree
are tapped the sweeter the sap becomes
This ! know from ny first experience in
sugar making. Wren | was boy | pur-
che II -.
sugaring on my own hook, with trees that
bad never been tapped before, and my brother
older sugared in what We called the old sugar
place, and we found that his sap was nearly
twice as sweet as mine. a neIghbOr had a
sugar orchard laying by the side Of our ole
sugar orchard which had not been tapped
bot a part of the time and his sap was not
sweet ours. Therefore, from the fore
going / draw the conclusion that by contin-
ued tapping the sap becomes sweeter, bat
where the extreme limit IS, 10 this direction
| know not, nor do | know that it has ever
been reached.
The main points on which the quality o.
sugar depends are, first, the sweetness and
cleanliness of the tubs and everything con
nectod with the sugar orchard, aud without
this requisite no one can make the hes
quality Of sugar. And think that tin tub,
are much better than wooden Cnes, for tIr
tubs are easier kept clean and sweet. Toe
sap will penetrate tie wood OF the wooden
tub, and sou1s and dries during the last par
OF sugaring; and another advantage til
has over wO,d is, ybu can gather the saI
earlier IN tie morning from the tin tubs
than you can from wood, n ones Most o
the oden tubs are manufactured Of tim
Der embracing the sap as well as The hear
timber. This .8p wood sOurs much quicke
than the heart wool, so that heart tuhs ar
preferable to these containing the sap wood
! notice Il at some use wooden tubs paint e.
inside and out, and think them preieratI
to TN as they do not warm the sap as muct
in a sunny day the tin does, and vii
therefore, keep tie zap longer sweet. but tn
fac il that sap should not stand in an.
tuis any longer than one can help, and Z
sap can he gathered from a tin tub, when
ever it is warm enough for sap to run, an,
sap will keep longer in bulk, if gathereo
when It Is cold, than it will in the sap tubs
y gives The tin tubs an advantage in thi
d rec on.
Say -nould be gathered and boiled as 500
Is possible after it has left the trees Thi
is one OF the main points, on which good o
poor sugar deptpds, for the longer sap stand
alter It 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 +
take cut all foreign substances, and in boil
ing it, one should MAJ it a point to syruI
oil quite often, as the continued boiling 0
the same sweet for long time will color it
and the boiling apparatus should be con
stfucted with special references to this idea
and the syrup should be sugared off as soor
as it has stood sufficient time to settle. anC
II should stand in tin cars, kept in coo
dark place II possible. Sap commences Il
Large as soon as it leaves tie tree, anC
Should therefore be worked up as soon a,
possible, and our motto should be in making
sugar, frst, cleanliness, second, expeditions.
nets, third, TO get all foreign substances out
OF 1t, and put none in, either in boiling the
sap or in sugaring off.