The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-03-03
Thermal Maps and Maple Sugar.

these columns if there are any maps
published giving at a glance view of
the various zones or belts of forest
trees. These thermal belts have refer
ence to climatic conditions, and con-
sequently vary considerably from the
parallels of latitude. A map of this
kind, as Mr.. Wheeler justly observes,
would be very useful to tree-planters,
for they could see at once where GER
tain trees, or classes of trees, would find
a congenial climate. Mr.. Wheeler
adds that Vermont has the reputation
of making better sugar than any other
state, and he has no doubt that this
reputation is well founded. The ques-
ton then is, Why do we make the best
sugar? Is il due to better methods of
manufacture, or is it due to location,
soil and climatic conditions? These
are Mr.. Wheeler's questions, and he
asks us if we can tell how Vermont
compares in height above the sea-level
with other localities where the maple
thrives.
These strike us as being important
questions, interesting to intelligent
sugar makers and to all who are in
terested in forestry. Such map as
Mr.. Wheeler asks for is published in
the Report of the Montreal Horticul-
tural Society for 1873, and copy of
that report can probably be obtained
by addressing the secretary, Henry S.
Evans, Montreal. We believe the price
of these reports is fifty cents each. On
this map only the northern limits of the
principal forest trees are shown. The
northern limit of the sugar maple fol-
lows near the north shore of Lake Su-
perior, and from thence eastward in a
waving line to the mouth of the
Saguenay river as it enters the St.
Lawrence. The southern line of the
sugar maple, east of the Mississippi
Cor of the black maple of the South,
which is hardly distinct species), cor
responds very closely with the termina-
ton of the mountains as they sink down
to the sandy plain north of the Gulf
of Mexico.
In regard to the reasons why Vermont
maple sugar is the best, no doubt one
reason is the greater care taken in its
manufacture. This must be the reason
for its superiority to the maple sugar of
Northern New York, if it has any.
But when we come to Middle and
Southern New York and Ohio (and
this holds good still more with Pennsyl-
vania, Virginia and Kentucky the
principal reason why the maple sugar
there is neither so good, nor so abun-
dainty produced, is the fact that in
these parts they have no regular sugar
season, as we have. The sap in those
sections, especially in the southern
portion of them, will flow on any thawy
day from December to March. Any
sugar-maker can see how that would
work to injure quality and reduce guam
tity. The runs are short, and the time
between them often of several weeks
duration. From the first run as good
sugar might be made as we make in
Vermont. But with the buckets lying
out, and the necessity of freshening
or renewing the holes, to say nothing
of the souring of tubs and other ves-
sells and the accumulation of dirt about
the sugar-house, it is plain that the
sugar of succeeding runs would be in
ferior, and the whole business much
less profitable. When we have been
in Aroostook (Northern Maine), which
runs up two and half degrees further
north than Vermont, and lies only a
few hundred feet above the sea level.
we have admired the magnificent maple
forests, and inquired why they make SC
little maple sugar there. The universal
reply was that winter changes to spring
so quickly as to make the sugar season
too short for profit. We know that il
Vermont, as a rule, the higher sugar
places are making sugar long after the
buckets are gathered along the Cham
plain shore, and it is also true tha
about all the sugar made in Massachu
sets is in the mountains of Berkshire
county, where snowdrifts linger unit
the cherry-trees are blooming arount
Boston.
1t is thus evident that altitude has
as important bearing upon this ques
ton as latitude. AS regards soil, tn,
sugar maple belongs to strong soil
everywhere, and the "hard-wood land, ,
in the hills from Vermont to Northern
Georgia, usually means sugar mapl
land, and is the best land everywhere
A tree that picks out the best land t.
grow in, when we follow it along tn
same range of mountains, will be foun
upon about the same quality of soil a.
the way. In level territory, lk
Ohio and Northern Maine, with a uni
formly rich soil, you find the mapl
very widely distributed, but mos
thickly on the higher spots,