News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1892-03-17
Maple Sugar Making.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE BUSINESS IN
UERNTONT

| SOMEIdlNu ADObL DUClNEcC in
VERMONT.
1t seems strange, says recent
writer, that so little has been written
about the Vermont maple sugar or
chard Occasionally a resident of
some city tries to write it up, but he
generally shows sdch ignorance that
his work serves no purpose but to
make the intelligent Vermonter laugh,
and he is generally set down as man
who would expect that sugar is pick
ed from trees as gum is or that cider
comes from cider trees AS a matter
of fact, however, there is no more in
teresting place than the Vermont
maple sugar orchard with its hard
cider and billing nights" and those
who want to see the Vermonter at
home and hear the real Vermont dia-
lect and have the Vermont woods
sing songs and repeat poems can do
no better than to take their rifles and
stroll away of fine afternoon to the
"sap house" on the hillside where
sugar is made. Find, if possible, a
camp where the work is done in the
old-fashioned way-the sap boiled in
potash kettle and sugared off in
brass kettle around which gather the
farmer and his help to tell stories
and you'll say that for genuine fun
and stories with a point there is no
place like a Vermont sugar orchard.
THE EFFECT OF THE BOUNTY-SOME
PRACTICAL HINTS.
Great advance has been made in
sugar-making since the time when
sap was caught in troughs and boiled
in the open air in a rast-iron kettle.
There are still many places in YER
mont in which the work is done in
this way, but for the most part or
chards now have a convenient sugar
house, equipped with evaporators
and modern arches.
SIMPLE RULES FOR TESTING SUGAR.
Immediately after the bounty act
was passed by Congress the expert
ment station at Burlington went TO
work to see what quality of maple
sugar would test so and 30 degrees
by the polariscope and to learn if
possible some simple way by which
| farmers could determine if their goods
would come up to the required stand
ard.
A large number of samples of sugar
from all parts of the state, such as
are usually put on the market, were
| tested. 1t was found that most of
these samples tested over 80 degrees
| by the polariscope and a few over 80
degrees. One very fine sample tested
| 96 degrees. These results seem to
show that most of the sugar made
early and during the middle part of
the season tests so degrees, and thus
be worthy a bounty of one and three
quarter cents a pound. 1t was not
found best, however, to try for the
bounty of two cents for sugar testing
80 degrees by the polariscope, as it
means a loss of 2 pounds of sugar
to gain one cent of bounty.
An accurate thermometer is the |
sugar-maker's guide. This was the
first conclusion reached in the inves-
LEGATIONS. This fact will be seen from
the following: When sap begins to
boil, its temperature is about 213 de-
grees. As it boils down and becomes
thicker the temperature at which it |
boils rises until toward the end it may
be 235 to 24O degrees or even as high
as 245 degrees. If the strip had
nothing in it but sugar and water at
a temperature IF $50 degrees it would
test 80 degrees and at 253 degrees it
would test 80 degrees. But the strip
also contains mineral natter, matted
OF lime inter or sugar sand), burnt
sugar, and toward the end of the sea-
son various materials sembling
glucose, due to the starting of the
buds and the beginning of the sum-
mer's growth of the tree. These ex-
ira materials at the beginning of the
season are about one-sixteenth the
weight of the sugar and increase I'M
til IN some very poor and black last
run they may amount to so pounds
tor every 100 pounds OF actual
sugar present.
Hence 100 pounds of a frst-class
sirup boiling at 228 degrees instead
Of containing 80 pounds of sugar,
about IS pounds of sugar
and enough of the other materials,
pounds, to makeup the so pounds,
the other 20 pounds being water
Such a sirup will have to be heated
to 231 degrees and some more of the
water driven off before it will con-
tain 80 per cent of actual sugar, and
to 243 degrees to contain 80 per cent
sugar. The more the impurities the
higher the temperature to which the
sirup will have to be heated. Fur
5her experiments demonstrated this
act. To make a sugar testing so
degrees by the polariscope, first-run !
'irup will have to be heated to 1913
degrees. The general run of good |
quality strip through the most of q
he season will need to be heated to
235 degrees and if it be little dark y
20 236 degrees. Toward the latter 7
part of the season the temperature s
will need to be raised to 23S degrees
md the same should be done at any '
lime when a sirup gets scorched, or
or any reason seems to be of poor
Iuality This is always on SUPPOSE
ion that the strip is stirred until it
grains before it is poured into the
ubs or pals. If the malate of lime
) not removed, these temperatures +
Vill need to be. raised two degrees. i,
Me best thing to remove this sedi- n
1ent is the felt strainer. 1t seems T
retty thick, but the strip runs n
through it more readily than flannel a
nd, if we'll cared for, will last several h
easOns. W
The last run cannot be made into w
sugar testing 80 degrees. This is n
lways true after the buds start, and s
sually the case with the one or two a.
uns next previous. A sugar con- m
aiming 80 per ceht of pure sugar io
an be made only from the best of in
rup the first half of the season. w
here will also be loss of IL pounds r,
{ sugar to gain one cent of bounty, w
, that no one can afford to try for w
ne two cent bounty unless they h,
ave a special market. n
But strip is the staple article with or
ne majority of sugar makers. The ~
ommon rule is to make strip that -
hall weigh IL pounds to the gallon. a
his the station found to be exactly -
ght, and that the temperature cor =;
spending is 219 degrees. Such -
rup will not grain on standing. y.
his is the extreme limit. however. f.
A PRACTICAL MANS METHOD. m
I'll. D. W. Doty, a prominent sugar %
laker of Lamoille county, says: The 81
est idea | got last year in regard to liz
lgar making was that a thermome- ST
IF would Indicate the right degree 70
hardness Of SMEAR and oISo +bo L,