The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1893-05-31
TAPPING A MAPLE TREE.
A GREAT AND DISTINCTIVELY
AMERICAN INDUSTRY.
The Best Weather for Big Yield
Curious Things About Sap and
Maple Trees.

Inc best weather lOI II DIX hitiu-
Curious Things About Sap and
Maple Trees.
IkTF could make the maple sugar
of the country, wouldn't care
who make either its songs or
& its laws" said New York COM
mission man. 'Lnst year the maple
belt of the United States gave up
enough sap to yield 70, 900, 900 pounds
of sugar. This year, from all reports,
this distinctively American product will
be increased at least 5000, 900 pounds.
This will be due iii great part to the
Government bounty on maple sugar,
and in no small degree to the fact that
1898 will be an exceptionally good sap
year. The winter was extraordinarily
cold, but il was even in temperature.
There was much snow in the woods.
Spring in its approach kept the golden
mean between lingering cold and sud
den warmth. This is as it 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
how There will be more maple sugar
made this spring than was ever made
before, and of better quality than
has been known for many years. Last
year, including the Government
bounty, the maple sugar crop netted
the farmers ten cents a pound. 1t Will
not be less this year. They may con-
fdently calculate ON receiving 81, 5OO,-
600 for their crop in 1898. Who would
not rather make the maple sugar of the
country than either its songs OF its
laws?
vermont, for some reason, is gen.
orally supposed to be the one great
source of the country's maple sugar
supply, and yet Vermont makes less
than one-ffteenth of the whole. YER
monts reputation for producing 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 fnctor in
domestic as well as foreign commerce,
and to bring to its manufacture not
only scientific helps but the potent aid
of observation and study of the maple
tree, and the effects upon it of climate,
soil, and meteorological conditions.
'It is the popular belief that pure
maple sugar is invariably known by its
dark, damp-looking appearance. In
the old days of maple sugar making the
product was necessarily very dark, be-
cause 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 it is not the dark maple
sugar that should be regarded rs the
pure article, for it is more apt to 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 sap and
maple trees have been discovered by
observant sugar makers. For the sap
to run freely there must be well-min-
gled conditions 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 quantity
and the better quality of sap. A still,
dry, dense atmosphere, with north
west wind is the best for steady sap
running. When the ground thaws dur
ing the day and freezes at night, and
there is plenty of snow i'll the woods,
"sap weather" is said to be at its best
A southwest wind, with threats of n
storm, will stop the flow of sap. II
the storm is a snow storm, though, and
freeze succeeds it, the sugar maker
will be happy, for then the sap viii
start with redoubled freedom
when the thaw that must quick
when the air is highly oxygenized.
A tap on the south side of tree will
produce more sap than IA tap on the
north side. Sap 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 Immediately before or
Just after a snow storm or freeze-up.
A few trees will produce rs much sap
hh BOOu many lulh upphl Sht ullo-
maly is explained by the curious fact
that trees standing close together divide
the aggregate flow made possible by
the area of soil they cover, which ag-
gregate would be as great if there
were half AS many trees draining the
spot. An acre of good ground should
not be called upon to support more
than thirty trees TO be used in sugar
making. More than that on an acre
will decrease the supply of sugar
that is, no matter how many trees
farmer might tap on an acre, he would
get no more sugar than if he had but
thirty trees on the acre A well-kept
sugar bush should yield ten pounds of
sugar to the tree, or 800 pounds to the
acre. Five gallons of good sap will
make one gallon of good syrup. A
gallon of syrup will make between six
and eight pounds of sugar. 1T is the
hard maple tree that makes the sugar.
Windham County, VT. Somerset
County, Penn, and Deleware County,
N. Y, are the three greatest maple
sugar producing counties in the
Union, the first leading the list with
an annual yield of about 5000, 900
pounds, the second producing ?, 800,
II a