Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-10-17
AGRICULTURAL.
1HE MARIE SrGAR BOUNTY.
Gen GrouT- Letter TO the Burlington
Ercr preas ENplninInR the siInnlion.

nm H.lII4f ~ OAK HOl " I ,
Gen t.rouU- Letter 10 the Burlington
Free Press ENpininIng the situation.
Eijipr OF me Free Press referring TO
the recent statement in the Free Press con
deused from the Boston journal relative Ia
the maple sugar bounty as finally left by
the tariff hill, and for the information Of
those interested, many Of whom have al
ready asked numerous questions concern
ing its provisions, allow me to say in cor
rection of the Journals statement that the
Till docs not give one and one-half cents
bounty TO sugar Of any grade, nor is any
sugar required to test % per cent 10y the
punrscope to be entitled to bounty, nor did
the House fix the limit at $50 pounds These
are all errors AS well as the statement at
trhuted to the writer that the 800 pound
limit would reduce the number of farmers
who would be entitled to the benefits of
the bounty at least one half 1t is true,
that the few friends of the maple sugar
bounty did not like this provision. They
wanted it reduced one half at least, but
found the committee unalterable on the
ground that 500 pounds still left a large
number Of persons for the government to
deal with thereby making the distribution
Of bounty at that limit even quite expen-
sive 1t also seemed to be the general
opinion that the commissioner Of internal
revenue, who is authorized to make all
needful rules and regulations for carrying
hn itt, off al
low small producers 10 combine their prod
urt aud thus he entitled to the bounty. So
upon the whole this feature was thought
not to be so bad after ALL
1t will he remembered that as the bill
passed the House no provision was made for
maple sugar The Senate extended the
bounty to maple, but to he entitled to it on
any kind of sugar 800 pounds must be pro-
duced
The Senate also fixed July /, 1891, when
the bounty was to take effect, and left the
polariscope test at 80 just where the House
fixed it originally. When the bill got back
from the Senate, the House non -concurred
in all the Senate amendments in order to
get the matter into conference without de
lay. The conference committee agreed to
leave the limit at 800 pounds and also
agreed to July 1891, as the time when the
bounty was TO 20 into effect, but at the
same time changed the polarscope test so
that between 80 and 30 the bounty should
be one and three fourths cents per pound,
aud in order to get two cents it must 90
ala frin l. e Ia, L., l. 1
asked the committee to fix time so
that the maple product should share the
bounty with other sugars of next year, but
the change in the polsriscOpe test was "a
complete surprise to them and they could
hardly help the feeling, that while the com
mttee were preserving the form of bounty
on maple, they were quite willing that the
road to it should not he an easy one. But
the committee explained that the reason
for the date of July |, 1891, was that no
payment of bounty should come within the
present fiscal year, in order to meet the
view Of those who think it doubtfui-if we
can spare the So, 900 900 duty on sugar
without deficit; which, should there be one,
would he increased by the bounty on maple
sugar. This bounty, Judging by the estimat-
ed product of 1899, would he just about
81 ,OOOOOO Here again the committee were
immoyable, but there is this crumb Of com
fort left. The bounty will expire July l.,
1909, and the maple sugar men who hold
on till that time will get the bounty they
ought to have next spring, aud that year
none
The change Of test from so to 30 per
centim order to entitle it to two cents bounty
with only one and three-fourths cents be-
tween, applies to all sugars, but will most
affect maple sugar makers because out of
the great number some will be negligent of
the conditions and fail of the bounty. But
it is difficult to give any good reason why
difference should not be made between
sugar of 50 and that of 80 per cent of sac
chorine matter, since it is for that and mot
water that the bounty is offered
But it is of more Importance to the ma
pie sugar maker to know where with refer
ence to the required test, his product will
fall. His status is shown by the following
letter from the secretary of agriculture
WASHINGTON, June q, 1890.
Hon. IIHiium w. circuit, House Of Repre-
SeHtdtireS:
Sir :-Replying to your letter of the %
inst, in which you ask, What does maple
sugar polarize - will say that the degree
which is indicated by maple sugar in the
polariscope depends wholly upon the purity
of the article
In some cases maple sugar is made very
pure and dry in such instances the POI
lariscope will he between "a and " per
cent. In other cases it is made quite moist
and contains considerable portion of in
vert sugar, formed-in boiling in such cases
the polariscope may fall as low as Is or
even 20 per cent. On page 1856 of bulletin
No. ) of the chemical division of this de
partment is Il list of analyses of % sam
pies of maple sugar obtained from various
parts of the United States The highest
polarization obtained in these % samples
was % per cent and the lowest II 80 per
cent
In general il may be said, from the data
which have been collected by the depart
ment, that the mean polarization of maple
sugar is about 80 per cent.
Respectfully, j. NJ, RUsK,
DcNIeldlN
From this it would seem that with very
little care all maple sugar can be so made
as to receive one and three fourths cents,
and if quite dry it will be entitled to two
cents per pound.
In closing will barely add that though
the conference report was not what the
friends of the maple sugar bounty would
have liked, nor what they asked of the
committee, yet it was all they could get
and in view of the manifestly unfriendly
feeling in the House to the proposition
coupled with a disposition to turn it int
ridicule-those friends thought best to of
fer no criticisms whatever, but to cordially
concur in the report Of the committee,
which they did, Very respectfully, etc.
WILLIAM W. GRoUT.
Barton, Vt, oct. 3, 1890