Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1893-03-15
MAPLE SUGAR.
Vermont's Best Product.
What ii is. How ii is Made and
Where and How Sold.
Written for this paper by E. W. 'ROlfe.l

]
sand packages Of imitation sugar year.
ly, no part of which was ever in Ver-
mont or was ever made from the sap Of
sugar NAPLES, but all of which is the
product of city manufactures. This
spurious compound is put upon the
market weeks before the sap ofthe sug-
ar maple begins to flow, each year, and
five, or more, pounds are sold for ev-
cry pound OF the genuine that is pro-
duced. If all the people who now i'm
agine they are eating pure maple sug-
ar could be gained as customers by the
producers of genuine maple sugar, the
demand would be greater than the sup
ply. In 1891, it was estimated that
something like 100000 pounds of
pure maple sugar were produced in
the United States, and nearly two
thirds of this amount was produced in
Vermont. Let the waste of Vermont
maple forests be stopped, ,and 100000
600, or more, ponnds Of nice sugar
could be produced in her sugar camps
in an average year, probably. The
quality OF her product is acknowledged
TO be superior to that of any other
State or country, and this fact seems
to be recognized by the manufacturers
of the imitation article; hence their
use of the inscription, 'sPure Vermont
Maple Sugar" One OF the greatest
obstacles in the way Of the Vermont
sugar producer has been the COMPETE
tion of these city sharpers. The sale
of the genuine article has suffered, not
only from the competition of these
fellows, but also from the lack of true
information, among the greater number
of people, relative to maple sugar.
The crafty sharpers have spread the
statement that it is the maple sugar
producer who is dishonest and adul-
terates his sugar with the product OF
the sugar cane and with glucose, in or
der TO make its color light. The city
papers have helped spread these false
and nonsensical statements, and their
readers have been gravely informed
that only adulterated maple sugar is of
a light color, pure maple sugar being
OF dark butternut color. When the
people who buy the imitation article
learn that what they have supposed to
be pure maple sugar no more nearly
the genuine, in flavor or
than the cheapest of
oleomargarine approaches the product
Of the gilt-edged butter dairies, it seems
to expect that their custom
can be gained and that the Vermont
sugar producer can get fair price for
his product. Pure Vermont maple sug-
ar and syrup are luxuries, and their
value does not depend upon that of the
cane or beet sugar.
MAPLE SUGAR MAKING.
s'Your sugar is too white to fool me ;
maple sugar is dark and does not taste
If '.store sugar" Vermo sugar
producers have often been vexed by
his or similar stories. The persons
elling or writing these stories were
sincere in the belief that the light ma
1le sugar sent them had been doc
ored with ssstore sugar or some other
sweet substance net nearly so good as,
md lacking the flavor of, pure maple
sugar. Both dark and light maple
ugar is made in Vermont sugar places
very year. Neither the light nor the
lark sugar has any 'store sugar" or
my sweet foreign to itself, mixed with
t. 1t is the dark sugar that is likely
o be impure, however; lack of care
md slovenly methods give it its inn
,urities.
In the earlier days the sugar maker
lewed shallow troughs from the wood
f the linden, or Eastwood, tree, and,
,lacing these at the foot of his naples,
le next made a slanting incision in
,ach tree with his ak; the trough and
he incision were connected by wooden
Ipouts. If he owned a big caldron
Settle, he would select a place, beside
ONE ledge, if possible. and cut big