The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-06-03
MAPLE-SUGAR MAKING.
A Profitable Industry to the Green
Mountain State.
How the Toothsome Substance Is Ex-
tracted from the Trees and Prepared
for Shipment - The Reason Its
Manufacture is q Femi-
nine Blessing.

This is the harvest time of the tim
smiths of Vermont, for the maple-sugar
season is at hand, and in every shop
the workmen are busy making and re-
pairing. evaporators, pans. heaters,
buckets, cans, and other sugar stools. -
The best makers are getting to use
tools made only of tin or Russia
iron, wood having been pretty much
discarded, owing to the injury to the
flavor of the product which it ALMOST
inevitably causes.
Vermont produces more maple-sugar
and sirup in the aggregate Zone gallon
ofsirup being equal to eight pounds of
sugar) than any other State in the
Union. A large run of sap is not ex-
peeted this spring, since the weather
last fall was not favorable. 1t is ad-
mitted by all competent judges that
the spring weather of Vermont is the
cause of the flow of the maple sap.
The month or more of warmish days
and frosty nights in the spring are in
dspensable. This is proved by the
failure of the sap-flow in the northern
and southern portions of the sugar
maple belt on this continent This
belt east of the Rocky mountains ex-
tends northerly, as far as the south
shore of the st. Lawrence Gulf and
river, up to the mouth of the Saguenay
river, and thence westerly to the head
waters of the Ottawa river and to Thun-
der Bay on Lake Superior. The south
erllimiti in the hills of Middle Georgia,
Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and
Northern Texas. On the Pacific coast
the southern limit is the coast range
north of San Francisco. Its north
ern limit has not been accurately
determined. Yet little or no maple
sugar can be made in the northern or
southern end. Even in Aroostook
county, Maine, the winter breaks up
SO late that there is no transition peri
od, and summer comes on at once.
And in Canada, New Brunswick and
Nova Scotia, where there are plenty of
naples. there is little or no sugar
made for the same reason. Vermont,
rom her peculiar soil and climate, is
destined to keep the lead in the manu-
iaetllre OF maple-sugar, as she is in the
growth OF merino sheep. She always
mas maintained her pre-eminence in
these respects and she always will.
fne maple-sugar season is peculiarly
profitable to the Vermont farmers, for
llle reason that it comes "between
ames, when there is nothing going
ol about the conduct of their farms
except the chores The logging
and Wood-cutting are over and the
ground is not ready for cultivation.
Ing sales of sugar and sirup are for
cssh down, and therefore they are en-
aaled to acquire ready money with
smcn to make the spring purchases
ana tide over until the sales Of crops in
Me lalL The farmers and their sons,
aad the regular SHRED men" do the
sorS, and there is no expense except
of tools. For an orchard of 1000
.ees It is estimated that the sugar
asase. ass, the evaporator, the "sugaring
" " pan, the vat, the sap-holders,
'ae gatherers, the buckets, the spouts,
.ae cans for the sirup and the tubs for
sae sugar cost about 5000. These.
asss,ng once been obtained, will need
sAsatfepairs and requirements from
IN 70 year. OF course the sugar-tubs
ss :. sirup-cans must be replaced every
stlhig. The profits of such an orchard
nv 'usge about $500 a year more than
ss aa iarmers spend annually for their
ssVssenold sn1s expenses. Orchards of
.IV .ss trees are not at all uncommon,
slss s several farmers tap $500 and even
0es' - 90 So g
ureat improvements in the manu-
~ ,as.are Of maple-sugar have taken
Ess within the last fifteen years.
mn W Years ago the boiling of sap in
y. NJ potash kettles hung between logs
s;., ~ sui common, and in a few be-
s;,s aseo localities the trees were tapped
hI an axe Pans set over an arch of
sass uA' IN which the fire burned, sue
# ,Ssd sss the kettles; and to-day, in most
Mass eese-managed orchards, evapor-
uiss toriginally inye nted for the man
ia nssaIe aa OF sorghum) have displaced
| of Iaa ns The ideal sugar place is one
l dda oIous g trees, situated upon the
ahraal4 = pih with southern exposure,
/ Iha hsn ~ running at the foot of the hill.
/ lntSsss Ssantages of such situation are
1 M lne sap can be easily carried
II tolders OF sspouts running from
iato ~ scattered through the orchard,
/ Sa 'ne baskets are emptied. to