Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-02-26
2fericllflral Department
I. D. R. COLLINS Editor.
HINTS ABOUT SUGAR MAKING.

CONTINUED
Our sugar orchard is so situated that
we can gather the sap with team. Have
a holder made the largest at the bottom,
and holding from thirty to forty pals
full, with a circular hole in the top head,
large enough to admit pail, to which
is tight-ftting cover. Near the bottom
upon one side a common molasses gate
is inserted. Have strainer in the hole
in the top. This holder fastened upon
sled, and we are equipped for gathering
the sap. AS soon as sap enough has
run to make it pay to gather, it should
be taken to the sugar house and boiling
commenced. The sooner sap IS convert
ed into sugar after running from the tree,
the better will the sugar be, other things
being equal. When we get our drawing
holder full we take it to a point some
four or five rods above the sugar house,
from which place there is sufficient de-
scent to enable us to carry it in spouts
to the store holders, which are placed
upon platform, with the bottom Of the
holders trife higher than the pan in
which the sap is to be boiled. We use
five inch spouts to conduct the sap as it
will run quite rapidly through a molas-
ses gate and would run over if a much
smaller spout were used. Where the
sugar house is situated upon level ground
this method of emptying the sap, is Of
course impracticable. In such a case a
very good way is to use a pump, which
may be procured of the tinman for
some two or three dollars.
We have used the past two seasons,
a Corey's sugar evaporation two and a
half feet long for about $50 trees and
find it's capacity amply sufficient. We
made last season some 1900 pounds Of
sugar and did not boil any at night. Its
capacity is about It's to 200 pals full
per day. The sap is again strained as
it passes into the evaporation, and the
syrup as it runs from the evaporation
passes through wooden (fanneD strain
er. This strainer takes out nearly or
quite all the substance which is some
times so abundant in maple sugar, COM
monty called nitre. We sometimes have
a quart or more. of this substance, re-
naming in the strainer from one days
boiling. The syrup is left in the tub
(Which should be smallest at the bottom)
to settle over hight. We find however
very little sediment in our syrup since
using an evaporator. The repeated
strainings take out nearly every thing
of the kind Our pan for sugaring off
is made expressly for the purpose, of the
best galvanized iron, about four and a
half feet long by three wide and ten
inches deep; and is set upon an arch
by itself. The extra depth of the pan
we consider a great advantage, as it is
not nearly as liable to run over. We
can sugar off in this pan any quantity
from fifty up to nearly two hundred
pounds at one time. We use nothing
in our syrup to make the scum rise,
believing that the sugar is nicer without
any such doctoring When the sugar
will begin to cap on snow it is done
sufficiently for tub sugar. AS the sea-
son advances however it must be done a
little harder, in order to grain well
When done set the pan off and dip OF
stir moderately while cooling. This
will make the sugar finer grained, or il
other words prevent coarse crystalization
and hard sugar. We have been thu;
particular In our description because We
have been repeatedly asked in regard t.
the different processes gone through with
and not because we think ours the bes
possible method in every particular
The great thing that we would insis
upon, is, the greatest possible cleanliness
and we verify believe that more poo
sugar is made from neglect in this on,
particular, than from all other causes
combined.