Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-12-20
For the Essex County Herald
Sugar Making.

Sugar Making,
The manufacture Of Maple Sugar
is an important interest to farmers in
this vicinity; and the idea OF making
Il superior article is getting to be Of
greater moment every year. Now is
good time to think and get ready TO
act. The first requisite is neatness or
cleanliness, in everything pertaining
to the business.
In tapping the tree one-half inch
hole is big enough, cut with an instru-
ment that will cut as smooth and
with as little bruising as possible so
as to leave the grains open. AS to
depth, the outside grains are the
best, but the sap circulates freely so
far as the woJd is white some time
during the season. 70 hore through
to where the wood is colored is lnju-
rous. Some kind of spout or conduc-
tor with q small aperature fitting the
hole nicely so as to make tight without
marring the tree unnecessarily and
prevent the hole from seasoning, which
very quickly checks the flow of sap.
Catch in wooden buckets, kept clean
and sweet by washing and scalding.
Tin buckets will make white sugar,
but as the season advances sugar
made from sap caught in tin buckets
will have terribly repulsive and
disagreeable taste, caused by the &C
ton of the sun on the tin. If one
wishes to make an nice article be
must gather often, even if sap runs
but slowly. Boil quick in shallow
pans with skinner in hand have a
hand to stand right over it and give
his or her whole attention to 1t, and
you can have the sap in your boiling
pan quite shallow and boil very rap
idly, putting in cold sap often and
skimmlng continually. Boil small
patches, washing your boiling pan
often. The heater with tubes is
saving of wood, does the work rapid
", but boils in the scum and so colors
the sugar. We prefer fine even
threaded cotton cloth for strainer,
running it through before it gets SO
sweet as not to go through readily.
Now for some of the things we have
to contend with. One Of the worst is
slick or SILICA acid, more or less per-
vading the sap as it comes from the
tree, colorless and kept nearly SO it
You are particular; if careless, black
gritty substance on the boiling pan
ard in the sugar. This substance
is no. discernahle till near the gran
ulating point or very thick molasses.
1t can be got rid of in this state by
settling. Another difficulty is the
grit or dust blown from the bark and
lichens on the trees, some of which
will go through almost any fiter OF
strainer; the remedy for this is skim
Ing and settling. Another thing tc
contend with is rinsing from maple
bark in stormy weather, which not
only colors but is bitter, when it is
very bad. l throw it away sometimes
and sometimes boil it but do not pu
it into tle market.
After all, sourness or acidity is
the most troublesome thing in the
snagUfacture Of sugar to contend
with, Washing and scalGing are my
remedies. Those using the patent
evaporators, so far as | have beer
acquainted, come very short of max
ing as white sugar as we are able Il
with the common pan. When the
Vermont State Fair met at St. Johns
bury, the specimens presented there
from the evaperators, were decidedly
inferior to what we are able to manu-.
facture with the common pan. Cool
ing and heating has tendency t.
color the syrup. IF there is anything
IN the sap before it is boiled that cal
be filtered out, it is well to do So
If these few hints shall help any on,
to improve the quality Of their suGa
the desired object Of the writer viii
be gained. G. 7.
Luncuburg, VT, Dec Is, 1873.