St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1872-03-15
farm, Garden and Jnusrhnld.
Maple Sugar Making.
EditOr Free Press ana Times

TUttOT TTtt TtSS uHt i'HNo.
In YOUR report of the meeting of the
Board of Agriculture, &c, held at Bur |
ington last month, is letter from my
-Ownsman Hon. Harmon Northrop on
maple sugar making. | have had some
experience in making maple sugar, and
cannot but think some of Mr.. Nor
thrOp's views are erroneous, and going
to the world with the practical endorse
ment of the Board must carry an i'll
fluence not favorable to the best re-
suits. | therefore beg leave to present
my own views and experience upon the
subject through your columns.
While boy at home we acquired the
reputation of making as good sugar as
who sold their product i'll our
market; and since | came to make SUI
gar for myself, some fourteen or fifteen
years ago, | have earnestly endeavored
to keep up with all the improvements
and hold my position in the market us
maker of an "A |" article. We former
" made our sugar in kettles, but were
among the first to adopt the pans so
strongly recommended by Mr.. NorthrOp,
and many Years ago, had all the spOuts
and Strainers he speaks of i'll use. We
spared no pains with our product and
when we heard of Improvements i'll
methods of manufacture or i'll apparatus
we investigated and adopted any which
we found 1t for our interest to. We
think we were the very first to adopt
the system of boiling shallow MASSES
and when the syphon system of Mr.
Smead of Wallingford was introduced
in that part of the state, we procured
the apparatus and used it a few seasons.
BY this system the cold sap was all run
into one pan and being kept 10y the sy
phOn connections at the same level III
all, the syrup accumulated in the fourth
or farthest pan. We do not hesitate to
pronounce this us great an improvement
upon Mr.. Northrops four pan system as
that is upon our original kettle system.
Meantime, we were investigating the
action and results of 1.-THE cvaporator.'
which Mr.. Northrop so positively con-
dennis without IL trial, and notwith-
we were fairly fitted up with
all the apparatus named above. we he
came convinced that our interest lay in
it altogether and putting
i'll the evaporator. We ncverthc-
less, determined to move safely and we
took 1.-THE eVapOrator' only on trial the
first year, but were glad to pay for it at
the end of the season, and now with all
due difference to the 'opiniou" of our
venerable townsman, we say We know
we can make more and better sugar.
and with less labor. and much less fuel
in 1.-The evaporation" than 10y his four
pan system Mr. Northrop evidently
does not understand the evaporation sls-
TEN of manufacture but >upposcS that
the sap is reduced to sugar ut one oper-
alton.
We do not know that such is the
practice anywhere or that il is recon-
mcmded by any body, but of course il is
possible for HIM To make sugar al one
operation i'll his four pan system. OF
course, the eVaporator product i'll such
rase would be very much superior to
the other. and the only serious obstacle
to the practice is the presence of the
substance which was spoken of in the
after discussion as "nitrc." although il
may bc Il question whether i'll the entire
absence of that substance il would he
good economy to make the sugar at one
operation. We usually let our syrup
stand over night to settle. but we do
not approve of letting il stand two
or three days as recommended 10y Mr..
NOrthrop. 1t is well known that light
and air, both exert mtaVorahle intlu-
ences upon sugar solutions whatever
their density, and Northrop's remark
about the necessity of boiling sap as
soon lis it runs is true of the solution
i'll every stage of the manufacture. The
it is made, the more crystaliza-
BILE sugar can he made from the sap
and the less umcrystaliZable sugar drains
out Ill the form of strong molasseS. Our
syrup flows from the evaporation i'll Il
small steady stream upon sheet of
thick flannel. through which it pcrco-
lateS into the settling tub, leaving upon
the straner most of the substance Spok-
Ell of as ''nitre." the remainder of which
will settle us well in one night us in one
year. Unlike Mr.. n, we have quite
been able to make our syrup
so nice that there would not be ii
''black, gritty sediment at the bottom
after settling il suitable time" and there
is Just where the evaporator has an adj
vantage, though 10y no means the great
est, over the pans.
But | see am already asking too
much of your space, and with Il word
about this ''nitre" | will close.
Several Years ago, Mr.. .. = Bliss. of
Georgia, sent samples of that substance.
and two cans of sap taken from our sII-
gar establishment, to the Chemist of the
Department of Agriculture. at Wash
ington, who pronounced the substance
tdrtrdte Of lime. and furnished specific
for treating the sap. so as to
cause its precipitation. That report
was published by Mr.. Bliss in several
of the state papers. II. ALLEN SoULE.
Fairfield, VT, Feb. -, lS72.