Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-03-04

The season for maple-sugar making will
soon be upon us, and those who have the ia
cilities for manufacturing this toothsome and
wholesome sweet should be getting things in
readiness in order TO secure the largest posi-
BILE amount. All the indications point to q
good season, and we shall be very much sur
prised if it is not so. The continuous cold
weather during the latter part of autumn and
the first half of winter have always been re-
garded as favorable to q large flow Of sap in
the spring. When winter weather comes on
early in November and continues for few
days followed by warm, spring like spsll,
as is sometimes the case, the buds begin to
swell, indicating that the vegetative functions
have prematurely awakened, and portion of
the sap of the tree passes into the form of
glucose and is lost to the maker of crystallized
sugar.
Maple sugar and syrnp are a great luxury
which no farmer who has sugar orchard can
afford to be without. Besides it can be made
a source of profit. The season comes when
the demand for farm work is light, and the
product of sugar making always brings good
price. 1t is a wholesome sugar, but no more
SO than that from cane, provided the latter is
pure, but as now sold in the markets il is
rarely found pure. 1t is adulterated with
glucose, and the powdered with terra alba, a
white earth which is also used for the adul-
ltEh1Ou Vi GTttiu we nave recently
purchased several samples of granulated su-
gar, having a decided blue tint, and when dis
solved the same tint is impaired to water.
Such sugar has been colored with utra-ma-
rine, pigment composed of various mineral
substances, and is done 10 cover up some de-
feet in the sugar. Maple sugar, though not
absolutely pure, contains nothing that is
harmful, and good maple syrup has deli
cious favor that is possessed by no other.
But to insure the best results, care and at
tention to all the conditions are required
Cleanliness is the first requisite. As the sea-
son advances and the weather becomes warm
er, the vessels, if neglected, will soon become
sour and the product viii be spoiled. Wash
ing the vessels in a solution of common soda
or in weak I've will destroy the acid, and this
this should be repeated as often as is neces-
sary TO keep them sweet. The evaporation
should be rapid and the boiling continuous
but not long protracted. II the same syrup
is held too long at a boiling heat. the sugar
is converted into glucose. After passing
from the eyaporating kettles, the syrup
should be allowed to settle, which will usually
take from eight to twelve hours. Pure clay
rubbed up and mixed in a quart of sap will
accelerate the process of settling The syrup
should then be drawn of and defeated by
means of the whites of eggs or of milk, which
will carry down any remaining impurities If
a very white article is desired, lime may be
used for defeating purposes this unites
with the vegetable acids in the syrup and
forms an insoluble compound which settles at
the bottom.
There are several kinds of evaporators in
use which generally work we'll an evapora-
tor that works well in the manufacture of
syrup from sorghum, will do equally as well
in the manufacture of maple sweets. In
boiling down the syrup into sugar, the heat
should be slow and steady, otherwise the
product will be scorched and thereby spoiled
These few suggestions embody most Of the
modern improvements in maple sugar max
ing, but with all these modern appliances,
we doubt if there is as much enjoyment in
the business as by the primitive methods of
our boyhood, when the sap was eyaponted
by the use of kettles suspended from poles
over a wood fire built between two huge logs
when We camped on the ground and obtained
our rest on a bed of fragrant evergreen
boughs, after having watched our boiling sap
and told stories until far into the night
There was much hard work connected with
it then, much more than now, but the sugar
season was also one of great enjoyment.
Maine Farmer .."