The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-04-28
MAPLE SUGAR.
EXTRACTING THE TOOTHSOME
PRODUCT IN VERMONT.
How the Substance Is Extracted
from the Trees and Boiled and
Purified for Shipment
and Consumption.

In letter from Middlebury, vt. which
is the greatest maple-producing State in
the country, a Chicago Tribune corre-
spondent says:
The maple sugar season is peculiarly
profitable to the Vermont farmers, for
the reason that it comes !between times, !"
when there is nothing going on about the
conduct of their farms except the
"chores." For an orchard of 1000
trees it is estimated that the
sugar house, the evaporation, the
"sucaring-otf'' pan. the vat, the
sap-holders, the gatherers, the buckets,
the spouts, the cans for the sirup, and the
tubs forthe sugar cost about 5000. These.
having once been obtained, will need
slight repairs and requirements from year
to year. OF course the sugar tubs and
syrup cans must be replaced every spring.
The profits of such an orchard averages
about $500 year-more than most far
mers spend annually for their household
expenses. Orchards of 1000 trees are
not at all uncommon, and several far
mers tap 2, 500 and even 5000 trees.
Great improvements in the manufac-
ture of maple sugar have taken place
within the last fifteen years. Forty years
ago the boiling of sap in iron potash kettles
hung between logs was still common, and
in few benighted localities the trees
were tapped with an Ak. Pans set over
an arch of brick, in which the fire
burned, succeeded the kettles, and to-
dav, in most of the bcst-managed or
chards, evaporators Originally invented
for the manufacture of sorghum) have
displaced the pans. The ideal sugar
place is one of Vi igorous trees, situated
upon the side of a hill with southern ex
posure, brook running at the foot of the
hill. The advantages Of such situation
are (1) that the sap can be easily carried
bv means of spouts running from holders
scattered through the orchard, into
which the baskets are emptied, to the main
reservoir; (2) that the sap begins to flow
earlier than in northern exposure; (3)
that the water enables the buckets and
apparatus to be easily cleansed, an indis-
pensable aid to the produc ton of good
sugar and sirup.
In such an orchard the sugar-house is
placed at the foot of the hill, beside the
brock. They are one-storied wooden
buildings containing sufficient room for
the evaporator and "sugaring off" pan,
for the packing of the products, and for
the storage of the "tools" after the ex-
piration Of the season. An evaporator is
q long shallow pan of Russia iron,
divided into several compartments, con-
nected with each other by holes in alter
nate ends of the transverse partitions, so
that the boiling sap takes zigzag course
as it flows through: The evaporator is
placed on the top of a brick arch twenty
nine inches high, which occupies all the
space underneath and which contains the
fire. The sap, having been strained two
or three time, flows slowly from the
reservoir to which it has been carried
from the trees into the first compartment
of the evaporator, and tumultuously boil
Ing proceeds slowly on its ''winding way"
through the compartments. With good
luck it has flowed into the last compart-
ment in twenty minutes from its entrance
into the first and has become sirup weigh
ing eleven pounds to the gallon, the
standard density. The heat all this time
has been great. Sap boils at 215 degrees,
but 325 degrees is maintained by the
best makers in order that no ''nitre" or
"malate of lime" the sugarmaker's
dread. the gritty substance found in poor
sugar, may be developed. Once it was
supposed that the formation of this sub
stance was disagreeable necessity, and
great pains were taken to remove it by
straining and precipitation. But it was
found that the "malate' was the
main source of the delicate aroma and
flavor of the maple products and that IT'S
removal was an injury. BY repeated ex-
periments it was ascertained that If the
Temperature was never allowed to 60 be-
low 600 degrees the malate did not Goa
lesce with the lime and the nuisance
could be avoided. In the evaporators
sirup alone is made. 1t is drawn off
from the last compartment through a
strainer. and if the manufacture is to
end there, is set aside to cool and then
put up, generally in gallon cans. If it is
to be made into sugar it should be trans
fer1ed boiling hot into "sugaring- off"
pan, in which a heat of nearly 400 de-
grees is maintained, and will soon be
transformed into saccharire crystals. The
greatest care is taken to prevent scorch-
ing. The sugar is made into cakes or
packed in tin cans, each holding about
fifty pounds.
The sugarmaker's task during the sea-
son is one of almost incessant labor; but
there is rollicking smack of the wilder
ness and camp life about it that makes it
very attractive. The sap must he boiled
as soon after its flow as possible or it
will ferment and sour. Consequently it
is gathered frequently, and when the run
is large the boiling is kept up night and
day. a sugar place in active operation
by the dim light of an April moon is a
weird sight The fires are red hot: the
furnaces stuffed with dry wood. which
sends streams of smoke lurid with great
sparks up the chimney; the farmer
and his assistants are dancing around
renewing the fuel, testing the boiling
sap with the saccharometre, watch
ing the governor which controls the
flow of the sap from the reservoir,
"swearing off," and packing the tooth
some product for market. An ordinary
sugar season lasts between three and four
weeSs-bcginning. say, the last of March
and ending about the 25th Of April. 4
tree averages about three pounds of
sugar. There are many orchards, how
ever. carefully attended to-t-immed out
so that the sunli ght has free access, and
in some cases annually ftrtiliZcd with
wood ochns--whcrr FIVE nonnds of smear