Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-03-31

NThe Sugar Works Of A. N. Foster.
Rad N GRrF> MOUNTAIN 6R.SGk MaR-H6

- ne SugdT NoI M u a. VI V>ttIs
Rad N GRrFs MoUSruS aR.SGk. M.E-H6
In the *nrinc Of 1873 7 CHANGED to dro'
in mon Mr. Foster while his SMEAR appar~
tus w"s in frll blaet and it may not \
altooether unproftab'e if 7 give n hri
sketch Of his mannor Of manufacturin
this. one Of Vprmont's most importar
staD1es.
In the first nlace allow me to say thu
Mr.. Foster IS NOT of that class who condrr
anv rart Of their business in = fancy man
ner. for he is eminnntlv practical I fonn
him upon the trunk If n larre tree WI
AK in hand. preparing fuel frr the comm
season. and when I remHrkn1 that he Ia.
attained rreat success in the art of surr
making he simply replied that he was con
t%innallv making new discoveries and wa.
far from perfnrti0n.
His orchard Is IN the town ofCabort AM
not varv warmly LOCATED. but * as clean
wood lat n. one need desire TO look upor
There IS not a soft wood tree in the srl -ar
place. nor a decavfd tree Of any kin
about the prnmisnS. Fvervthin~ in am
about the works i rs the dOor-vard of IT,.
most systematic farmer.
Instead Ofhrinr cOnnellpd to drive HI
StliltI III team III t"IttIl ltft''S. IL mos
sugar makers DO. he can 90 anvwher
with perfect s4fntv. The health and thrift
of the naples Themselves almost seem T.
guarantee a nice article of smear. but the
same thorourhnesS and cleanliness that
characteriZeS Mr.. Fosters elrar orchard
is carried through every department Of
sugar making.
He taps two thousand trees. inst so many
avpry raar f,r no h1S I,-% +l,+ ,,,,loor 6
buckets and none are ever upfor repairs or
used for other Purposes. He uses the wood
en- tub, larCer at the tors. preferring thom
TO tin. These two thousand buckets are 50
nearly alike that the casual observer would
discern no difference. and al ore painted
both on the outside and the inside. Some
might object to paint on the inside of n
bucket on account ofthe liability ofdamarr
to the sap. but Mr.. Foster saws that al
though while the bucket is new the San
tastes Of the paint. this all disappears in
the process Of boiling. and that were he t.
paint his tubs only IN one side tina should
be the inside. for the reason that sap in an
Imprinted tub takes all the impurities Of
the timber and sorks into the pores of the
wood TO suur by heat.
4 groove Is made in a Stavo unler the
upper hoop on the opposite side from tn,
lock for the head of the mil. which THOUGH
y small thing is n decided Improvement
upon the many methods in use for holding
the bucket TO the tree. In passing through
the entire sugar place | saw not a bucket
on the ground. nor one that leaked. In
the first place these tubs are thoroughly
made. and in the next place, they are
carefully handled, never being packed TO-
gether for the sake Of convenience in dis
tributing or gathering. When Mr.. Foster
collects his tubs they are thoroughly
cleansed and packed away with bottoms
upwards. but when he takes them ont in
the spring he only brushes out the dust
that may have gathered in them.
The unusual thrift of this sugar-orcharL
is accounted for in a large measure by the
manner in which it is treated in tapping
A small bit i used. with a round tin spou
slightly larger than the Old. which stril 6
In the outer edge of the bark. The mai
used is short AMI nicely made. Ate,
sugaring. the spouts and nails are all rath
cred and Strengthened. No AK is used t.
hew off the bark as is the usual custom
where much damage is done BIZ cutting
through. The nails and >pouts being rc
moved allow The wounds to readily helI
and generally the aperture is entirely
u tA' " VI WI litllt.
But | was the most interested in tn,
process OF manufacturing sap into sugtr
Tue team passes through the orchard
every dtv when tn sap runs at all. am
the sap is Immediately converted into honey |
or sd4ar lhere Is no waste in handlinr
rs the drawing Tub is drawn upoa Il ~cleyat-
ed platform from which the sap pas>p>
through u stralner into receiving tubs in
Side the sugar house, whence it arain |
passes through a feeding tub and the boil |
ing apparatus. This consists of an evan
orator and nine pans in three arches, thrr, |
pans each. These pans are connected with |
n pipe and are fed hy an iron pipe thai
passes through the fire beneath the middle, |
pan and discharges into it sap at a boi in
heat.
The capacity of this apparatus is 800 lbs
per day. The house proper i. :, yer, |
rude structure, but everything about i !
presents an appearance Of neltness that in
II great measure accounts for the genuin,
maple taste of The >uglr Manufactured
here. But in one little corner III re is fin. |
ished off u Lille room for the svrlp ana
sugar. all plastered AMI PAINTED and KEEP
as tidy as the dining-room of the mos
fIstidious housekecper.
MI. Fosters sugar and honey has ac-
quired such a reputation that for the mo,
part he sends IL direct to market on orders
HIS sugar Is PIT up IN nice tubs. hnl.iinr
about thirty pounds. made for the purpose
as be has II" ungtinly. leaky things to thus
dispose OF As many sugar makers 60.
Also he has tin pals with cover and bail
holding ten pounds, which retail ut - per
pail. His honey is put up in quart bottles
and ten-pound tin cars which retail at fifty
cents and n dollar and fifty cents re
spectively.
This is the way that one of the best
makers in Vermont manufactures
an article that ranks among the first of her
yearly productions. and it will be useless
to say thai he who buys this kind gets
the genuine sugar Of the maple, unmir-
ed.
While l was III Mr.. Fosters house
he sugared off a batch that be put into a
tub with a fancy cover. which he called his
premium tub. and after the New England
Fair | noticed that A. NJ. Foster. of Cabot |
drew the only premium on maple honey,
proves what can be lone when a
man has a definite object in view and
to work practically to perfect a sys-
em. {
1 speak of this at this time because it {
Will be but a few days before our farmers I
viii be actively engaged in s~ugar-nakinc. I
)ur state produces about 10000 900 pound i
# sugar annually, which makes it one of t