New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-15
IN THE SUGAR CAMPS.
NOT A VERY POETIC SCENE, AFTER ALL.
CHAPTER OF wooD-LsRE FROM THE LAND OF
THE MAPLE.

every spring The bulk of this is made In the counties
on and west Of the Allegheny Mountains, but tho
northern and northeastern counties produce a large
amount Of superior quality. Somerset County is
probably the largest producer Of maple sugar in the
State although many of the sugar makers there and OF
other Allegheny counties still employ very primitive
methods The farmers of the northeastern counties
owe their superiority in making maple sugar to the
fact that the farmers Of Vermont and other New
England States the best Of all maple sugar manu-
facturers and those of the northeastern corner Of
Pennsylvania in majority Of cases descendants
of emlgrars from New England, and have fallen heir
to their perfect methods
Poets and painters have succeeded in throwing
glamor of romance and rustic pcturesqucness abont
the sugar camp, and great amount of sentiment is
annually wasted on them by persons who have no
closer knowledge of the woods in March than the poet
and painter have given them In reality, the sugar
bush is o nasty soggy place. Tho very warmth and
brightness Of the early spring sunshine that starts
the sap to coursng through the wntercbilled naples
also melts the from twigs and branches reduces
the hardened earth TO the delightful consistency and
adhesiveness Of bed Of mortar, and discloses the
decayed relics Of last seasons fallen leaves The men
whom the sugar farmer has induced to share his misery
during the ugarmakng days at so much per head
per day gloomily and mournfully about, done
up in rubber coats and half buried In
rubber boots, and they form in frequent
groups about the fires and bend them 10 get the
smoke, they present anything but picturesque scene
and suggest anything but subject for sentimental
prose romantic poesy. You hear and read of bust
ling farmers wives and their rosy, exhlarated
daughters moving cheerlly and tripping lightly hher
and thither about sugar camp. Such scene may be
witnessed in other sugar camps but It is unknown In
Western Pennsylvania. The farmers wife and daugh-
tiers do asonally lend hand In the bush at sugar
| ing-of time, but they not blithe and gay while
doing IT, and there generally under protest 1t is
gala with them, or with young folks gener-
ally, while soshing about in mud and melting snow,
counting pneumonia as they slosh
The farmers of Western and Central Pennsylvania
are making ready for their spring sap boiling. Many
OF them, in fact, have begun the work already. The
work is simple, though tedious. The sugar farmer
has discovered many curious facts about the maple
and It's sap For the sap freely there must be
well mingled conditions of heat, cold and light
still and dry yet dense atmosphere, with north or
west wind blowing, is the best for saprunning That
Is the weather referred to by the farmer in his say
ing: when fires burn best then sap best
When tho ground thaws during the day and freezes
at night and there is plenty of snow in the woods
" sap weather. Is prime A heavy storm during
the sap season. followed by freeze and thaw, will
make the owner OF sugar bush happy "a few
trees will produce as much sap a good many" IS
anomalous saying of the sugar farmer. 1t means
that standing close together divide tho aggre
gate flow made possible by the extent OF soil they
cover, which aggregate would be great II there
half many trees draining the spot. Night
sap, sap that at night, will mako more sugar
than the quantity yielded during the day.
Sap contains more saccharlne substance when caught
either immediately before or Just after snow storm
or freeze-up. tree tapped high will give sweeter
sap than one tapped low, but the low tap will yield
the largest quantity. shallow tap will fetch from
the tree sweeter sap, and one that VIII produce
winter and better grained sugar than deep tap. but
the deep tap will yield the most molasses. Sap
starts Just on the south side Of the tree and runs
much sweeter than sap from tho north sde but
sap Will run long time from the north side Of the
tree after 1t has ceased running on the south side
are tapped iron spIies driven in the holes and Gov
cred bucket hung to each one In the old days the
&c for the s Sp wa F o
Of birch block an ordinary pail. The sap falls
le 's d y wona 30 DO aa but
the contrary tho trees have to be watched very
and he Of aud wiz bo
over the rim Of the pail before the stranger would think
o he spe and Smped f as s rs fS
a top like a big funnel This barrel Is securely at
the sas from tree to BY sd
easy going horse, driven by a youth especially So
Of the camp must be made IN slow and cautious
There here are og 5ne tuRg and gs and
lishment, and the driver must be constantly
Sns his VIE CARGO Of sap i a hss % n
in the estimation Of his fellows, and 1t Is great
IS sa over with clean S record on that score ~
When the rounds OF the trees are are msde the big
house or boiling shed soy There It e@p,ed into vsis
beneath which steady fire Is kept burning AS As, the
those having Charge Of that part Of the work who use
long handled ladies and rakes. This IS tho most In
same time the most distressing. The damp wood
smoulderng beneath the boiling watts, acted upon by
the saEe Thd s up and
burns by turns, according to the within and the empera
wood u in the fire The same wind that can provide
all OF these also frequently feches with 1t
t 1lE and distributes them ndlscmnsteiy IN the
boiling sap and the patient stirrers These dis,
northeastern counties Of the state. whore the sugar
houses are enclosed and wellappointed
After boiling in vat until certain conditions are
brought about which the sugar makers Skill detects az
the proper time the sap Is run into another vat through
proper consistency is reached In the second vat the
ready for % fSS 6aas So On eSe
premises but generally the sws sa
where tho farm wives and their daughters take charge
Of it and sugar or" II placed in huge 9ol he
and bubbles and reduces Itself under the snlfm ma
npgsti9n and OF the housewife Ihe
transformed into sugar are the same to-day as they
of ns s das e % 81 into
Of cold spring or we'll water The work OF sugarng on
requires inc greatest sHU inc constant az
tention II syrup Is wanted tho quick eye Of the
farmers wife detects the stage known as the 4buck.
wheat when little threecornored grains form. under
this test The syrup IS then turned Into earthen
Jugs when the boiling shows the advance Of the
hardening stage, tho hard work begins The hot,
sticky must be beaten and stirred and stirred and
beaten until the grains separate and the sugar
a fine, smooth and whitensd appearance. While tho
syrup is still in liquid form II ia run into
nonids and forms Of all descriptions, to
suit the fancy convenience Of the maker and
away TO cool barrel Of white, finely Favored maple
Of pride TO the farm woman Of the Pennsylvania sugar
,a~fnu