The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-03-24

across the smaller width of the evapOra.
tor, and the boiling sap flows from one
| side of the pan to the other, following
these partitions. which are opened upon
| alternating sides, until it reaches the end
nearest the chimney, when it flows int
a can and is pure syrup. In some sugar
houses, the sap is conducted thro' coil
of pipe that is inside the chimney and
gains some heat before it goes into the
evaporation. In other houses, other heat
| ing arrangements are found. The syrup,
after it has run from the evaporation into
the can at one end, is taken into a square
pan with high sides, made of galvanized
iron. This is usually set upon a stove.
In this pan the syrup is boiled, being
continually stirred, until it is ready to
grain, when it is taken off the fire and
| cooled, the stirring being continued, un-
til it it quite hard, when it is put into
tin pals and is ready for marketing. If
cakes are wanted, the boiling is con-
tinued little longer. The cakes are
made in tin forms and are harder than
tub sugar. Sugar stirred tor a long time
and then drained will be nearly as dry
ard as white as the whitest Of refined
cane sugar. During all the time the sap
is boiling in the evaporation, the attend
ant keeps close watch and, with a skim.
mer, removes all the impurities that
rise to the top. When the syrup is put
into the sugaring-off pan, it is strained
through felt prepared for the purpose.
There is no stopping place along the line
of the best sugar making so long as sap
is dropping from the spouts that convey
it to the buckets. The sap is not left in
the buckets long but is soon gathered
and, in evaporators, is quickly converted
into light-cOlored syrup having de-
licious maple flavor. This syrup is
quickly converted into a light-colored
sugar having the same delicious flavor
Put the syrup into sealed jars or bottles,
and it can be kept for years "as good as
new"
Not all of the dark sugar produced in
Vermont is impure. When a deep pan
is used instead of an evaporation, the
sugar maker may, by pursuing wrong
methods, produce pure sugar that is
dark colored. He may do this by keep
ing his pan over the fire from morning
until night, putting in fresh sap from
time to time but never removing any
part of the syrup until night comes.
The product of this long stepping will
be dark syrup from which only dark
colored sugar will be made. Syrup left
standing in an open vessel for long
time will become dark, and the sugar
made from it will be dark. This dark
sugar may be pure. but it will not have
the nice flavor the light sugar has. Sug
ar making has been compared to tea
drawing. Tea quickly drawn and kept
in the pot but a short time will be light
colored and will have pleasant flavor;
steep it, or keep it in the pot long and it
will become dark-colored
There is to-day a demand for maple
sugar that is greater than the supply If
the importance of the industry was rec
ognized by the maple sugar producers
and they were to make an effort to meet
the demand, it would require more than
one year for them to get the necessary
utensils and apparatus, and they would
have to tap every maple tree upon their
farms, finally. City manufacturers are
getting great fortunes through the sale
of adulterated and imitation maple SUI
gar. The money that is now flowing in
to their pockets should 90 into the peck
cts of honest maple sugar producers.
The producer and consumer have com
mon interest here, and once they get in
close touch, the day of the cOunterfeiter
will begin to pass rapidly away. Some
of the more enterprising Vermont sugar
makers have already gained family Gus
toners who take every pound of sugar
and every gallon of syrup the producers
can sell, and pay a fair price for the
same. Other consumers are beginning
to seek the producers and giveltheir Or
ders direct to them. The middlemen
lose their profits but both the producers
and the consumers are gamers. The
producer should meet his would be-cus
toners halfway; he should advertise SO
that they may learn his address; and
when he has gained their custom, he
should use such packages as they desire,
making each package neat and attrac
tive.-Written for the Herald and News
by E. W. Rolfe,