The Dickinson press., 1888-08-25
IN TIE SUGAR CAMP.
A SHORT CHAPTER OF WOOD LORE
FROM PENNSYLVANIA.

What Poets and Pal, scrs Have Done FOR
the "Susar l;ush"-A Pennsylvania
Writer Bcgs Leave to Diner-IIow Mae
pie sugar is Made.
Pennsylvania farmers manufacture over
3.Nn.0n pounds of maple sugar every spring.
The bulk of this is made in the counties on
and west of tho Allegheny mountains. hut
the northern and northeastern counties pro-
duce II large amount Of superior quality.
Poets and painters have succeeded i'll throw
ing Il glamour of romance and rustic pict,ir
cS1ucncss about the sugar camp, and IL great
amount Of sentiment is annually wasted on
them by persons who have nc closer knowl-
edge of the woods III March than the poet
and painter have given them. In reality,
the sugar bush is a nasty, Sogsy place.
The sugar farmer has discovered many
curious facts about the maple and its sap.
For the sap to run freely there must be we'll
mingled conditions of heat, cold and light.
y still and dry yet dense atmosphere, with II
north OF west wind blowing, is the best for
sap running. That is the weather referred to
by tho farmer in his saying: "WhcM fires
burn best then sap runs best" When tho
ground thaws during the day and freezes ut
night, and there is plenty of snow i'll the
woods, ''sap weather" is prime. \ heavy
snow storm during the sap season, followed
by Il freeze and II thaw, will make the owner
of a sugar bush happy. "a few trees will
produce as much sap as Il good many" is an
an anomalous saying of tho sugar farmer. 1t
means that trees standing close together di-
vide the aggregate flow made possible 10y the
extent of soil they cover, which aggregate
would be as great if there were half as many
trees draining the spot. Night sap. or sap
that runs at night, will make more sugar
than tho same quantity during the day. Sap
contains more saccharinc substance when
caught either Immediately before or Just
after Il snow storm or freeze up. \ tree
tapped high will give sweetcr sap than one
tapped low. but the low tap will give the
larger quantity. y shallow tap will fetch
from the tree IL swceter sap, and one that
will produce winter and better grained sugar
than Il deep tap, but the deep tap will yield
the most molasscs. Sap starts just on the
south side of the tree, and runs much swcrter
than sap from the north side, but sap will
run for IL long time from tn. north sidr of
the tree after it has ceased running on the
south side.
m BY DROP.
As soull MS the sap starts in the trees the
naples are tapped, iron Spilcs driven in the
holes and Il covered bucket hung to cacn one.
IN the old days the Spite was an rl,lcr with
the pith punched out, and the receptacle for
die sap was either Il trough liewn out of {"
birch block or an ordinary pail. The sap
falls from the spilcs drop by lrcp, and 50
slowly that it seems as if Il pHilful would
never lc obtained: but III the contrary thu
trees have t" he watched very closely, us the
pals fill in n remarkably short time, and the
little drops of liquid sugar will Inc running
over the rim of the pail before the stranger
would think it possible. AS soon as n pail is
filled it is lifted from the Spite and cnlpticd
into II large barrel with a top like a big fun
mel. This barrel is securely attached to IL
rude sled or wagon, and is drawn about the
bush from tree To tree by IL mild hammered
and easy going horse, driven by Il you'll, cs-
pecially selected for Ills patience and calrful-
moss, for the rounds of the camp must be
made i'll slow and cautious manner. An
upset i'll the bush with IL cargo of sap aboard
lowers a driver in the estimation of his fcl-
lows, and it is q great feather in his cap if he
comes out when the season is over with IL
clean record on that score.
When the rounds of the trees ere made,
the big barrel is filled with sap and is taken
to the sugar house VI boiling shed. There it
is clnpticd into watts, beneath which IL steady
fire is kept burning, AS the sup boils i'm the
watts it is kept constantly agitutcl by those
having charge of that part of the work. who
use long handled ladies' and rakcs. This is
the most interesting part of maple sugar
making, but it is at the same tine tho most
distressing. The damp wood smoldcrills
beneath the boiling watts, acted upon by the
riotous March wind, sends up ,lcllse clouds Of
suffocatius smoke. The %stilrrr cilukcs,
freezes and burns by turns, according to the
whim and the temperature OF the wind and
the c"mbustihlc qualities of the wood in the
fire. These ,iScomlortS, however. never,
attend sap boiling in the northeastern coull-
ties of the state, where the sugar houses ,ru
inclosed and we'll appointed.
''srGARING OFF"
After boiling in one vat until certain con.
dittons are brought about, which tin. s,l=a,
makers skill detects at the proper time. tn,
sap is run into another vat through IL %strailet
and then the boiling is continued. When {;
proper consistency is reached in the second
vat the sap is ready for s,lgaring Off. \. few
farmers in western Pennsylvania have tl,,il
boiling houses SO equipped that the last pro
cess may be gone through with on the prem
Uses, but generally the awaiting syrup i
loadcd i'll barrels and conveyed to the farm
houses, where the farm wives and thcil
daughters take charge of it and sugar off.
1t is placed in huge boilers, on stoves ar
ranged for the purpose, where it buils an,
bubbles and reduces itself, under the Skilltlt
manipulation and superintendent of til,
housewife. {.
The tests of the different stages of til,
syrup as it is slowly transformed INTO suya,
urc the same to-day as they We're the first da,
maple sugar was made-a spoonful of syrul
OH IL plate of SNOW, OF dropped into Il bowl o
cold spring or we'll water. The work of sl
CARING oil requires the greatest skill and TIL
most constant attention. If syrup is wantc,
the quick eye of the farmers wife drtectst til
stage known asst the Observation-Disclosures littl
three cornercd grains form under this test
The syrup is then turned into ~eartllrn Jugs
When the boiling shows the advance of TIL
hardening stage, the hard work begins. I'll
hot, sticky mass must be beaten and stirlp,
und stirred and beaten, until the grains SCI
nrate and the sugar assumes IL fine, slmoot
aud whitcncd appearance. While the syru
is still i'll liquid form it is run into mold
and forms of all descriptions, to suit I'll
fancy or convenience of the maker, and $.
away to cool.-Cor. New York Tribune.
Birds IN India.
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