The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-04-30
TAPPING THE MAPLE TREE.
Facts About a Great an Dis
tinctivsiy American Industry.

| either its songs or It's ld"s' sdi" " 4'S"
York commission man. Last year the
| maple belt OF the United States gave up
enough sap to yield 'OVVo,Wo POUNDS OIL
| sugar This year. from all reports, Inns
| distinctiyely American product will be
| Increased at least 100000 pounds. This
| will be due in q great part to the Gov
| eminent bounty on maple sugar, ana
| I'm no small degree TO the fact that 1875
| will be an exceptionally good sap year.
The winter was extraordinarily cold, Dut
II was even In temperature. There was
| much snow in the woods. Spring In It's
| approach has kept the golden mean be-
| tween lingering cold and sudden warmth.
| This is as IL should be for proper sugar
| weather. Spring weather In January or
February starts the sap before its time.
| Winter weather in March and April checks
| its flow. There will be more maple sugar
| made this spring than was ever made be-
| fore, and of better quality than has
| been known for many years Last year,
| including the Government bounty, the
| maple sugar crop Melted the farmers 10
| cents n pound. 1t will not be less this
year. They may confidently calculate on
| receiving s7,5O0,O00 for their crop In 1893
| Who would not rather make the maple
sugar of the country than either its songs
| or its laws?
| vermont, Tor Some reason, is HeHeTdllN
! supposed TO be the one great source Of
the country's supply. and yet Vermont
makes less than one-hfteenth of the
| whole Nermonts reputation for produc-
| ing the finest quality of sugar is deserved.
| for the sugar makers of that State were
| the first to recognize the Importance of
| the commodity as a factor In domestic
| as well as foreign commerce, and to bring
| to it's manufacture not only scientific
| helps but the potent aid of observation
/ and study of the maple tree. and the
| effects upon II of climate. soil and me-
| neurological conditions. Vermont maple
| sugar became of national fame. the same
as Goshen butter became household
| word for all that was superior I'm the art
| of butter making. And Vermont sugar,
| like Goshen butter, holds that fame to-
| day. although there is not pound OF
butter made in or around Goshen that
| enters market now. nor has there been
| for years New York city sold l2,00O0 600
| pounds of maple sugar last year. Three
| quarters Of that amount was sold as YER
| mont sugar at least 100000 pounds more
| than that State produces To-day Della
ware and Cattaraugus counties In this
| State. some of the Northern tier counties
| of PENNSYLVANIA particular Susquehanna
! and Wayne and more particularly a cen
| trail county of PennsylVania-SOmer
| county-and notably the counties OF the
! Western reserve Of Ohio. are making
| maple sugar equal TO the very best that
| ever came from Vermont just as our
| own Delaware and Chemung counties.
| and certain counties as far away as llli-
| nois. are making the butter that people
! set i'm their ways are to-day buying una r
| the old name and fame of Goshen butte.
| So. while maple sugar bought as Vermont
| in 81 no the
| inc Green Mountain State product BUYERS
may rest easy The chances are that
| they have got sugar made In New York,
Pennsylvania or Ohio. 1t is just as good.
II certainly is, If il happens to come from
| Delaware county. n. Y.
1.-The true maple sugar season begins
about the LIST of March and lasts until
| the middle of April, yet one sees every
year. early in February In the high-priced
fancy groceries of this city tempting
looking bars and cakes of maple sugar
| labelled "Vermont-First Run" The gro
GERS buy that article for just what they
represent II to be to their customers
but instead of being the first run Of the
Vermont sugar camps It is the last run
of the year beforehand something else.
At the close of every maple sugar season
certain Vermont dealers, and dealers in
other sugar-making localities, too. buy
I'D from the lhIIItIN ali the pun "a
refuse syrup and sugar they have on
hand. These dealers send out agents
through the country TO hunt up this in
feriOr and tail-end stock. 1t Is bought
cheap and is kept over until the next
winter AS early as January the dealers
begin to prepare 1t for the market. The
syrup and sugar are boiled together
with large additions Of glucose. The re-
suit Of this revamping of the last years
inferior goods into goods still more IN
ferior Is shipped to New York and other
cities as the very first Of the new crop
Of Vermont maple sugar before tree has
been tapped for the seasons run of sap.
And. although it has none Of the flavor
OF genuine maple sugar, the city folks buy
Il at fancy prices and gloat over IT.
at is the popular belief that pure maple
sugar is invariably known by It's dark.
damp-looking appearance. In the old days
OF maple sugar making the product was
necessarily very dark. because the simple
processes then in use could not make it
light. But IT was full Of impurities all
the same. Not authorizations, but natural
impurities Nowadays II is not the dark
maple sugar that should be regarded as
the pure article, for IL Is more apt 10
be the most impure. The very best maple
sugar that comes from Vermont or else
where is Of light. clear, dry glossy
brown-so very light indeed, that 1t looks
like clarified beeswax
MANY curious things about san and
nanle trees have been discovered by OBJ
servant sugar makers. For the sap TO run
freely there must be we'll mingled confl-
tions Of heat. cold and light In Vermont
the sugar maker has found that he gets
more and sweeter sap by tapping his trees
as near the roots as he conveniently can,
while in this State. especially In western
New York. a high tap yields the greater
ouantity and the better quality OF sap.
4 still. dry, dense atmosphere. with a
northwest wind is the best for steady sap
running When the ground thaws dur
ing the day and freezes at night and there
Is rlenty OF snow I'm the woods sap
weather" is said 10 be at its best A
southwest wind. with threats Of a storLl
will stop the flow Of sap. II the storm
Is n snow-storm. though and breeze sue
ceeds II. the sugar maker will be happy
for then the sap will start with redoubled
freedom when the thaw that must quick
~ follow comes. Sap runs better when
the air is highly oxygeniZed. A tap On
the south side of tree will produce
more sap than a tap on the north side.
san that runs at night will make more
and better sugar than the same quantity
of day sap. Sap Is also heavier with
saccharine matter when caught immedi-
ately before or Just after a snow-storm
mr. n freeZe-up. few trees will produce
as much sap as a good many. This APP
narent anomaly is explained by the GU
rious fact that trees standing close to-
gether divide the aggregate flow made