Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1893-03-15

Of a heavy chain. From the shorter
end of this stick the big kettle would be
swung, and the further end of the stick
would be secured to a tree. The sap
collected in the troughs was carried in
pals to the kettle, under which a fire
was kindled. When the greater part
of the water had evaporated and a
thick syrup been made, the sugar maker
would take hold of the longer end of
his "carrying stick" and swing the ket-
tie 70 cool place where the syrup
would grain and at the end of a day
or two, 10 or 20 pounds of moist sugar
would go into the sugar tub. Some
sugar makers would have only five
pail or a three-pail kettle others would
have several small kettles, and these
kettles would be suspended from pole
resting in some crotched sticks. One
side of the kettles would be sheltered
by the ledge against which they would
be swung, but the wind would blow
ashes, leaves, twigs, SCOT and other
dirt into them. Dead leaves would be
blown into the sap troughs where they
would often be left for day or longer,
soaking, and coloring the sap. The
syrup would boil over and the edges of
the kettles would be covered with
charred sugar, some or all of which
would get into the boiling syrup. Sug-
ar made in these days was dark and
had a strong flavor.
When square or oblong iron pans
took the place of kettles, arches were
built of stone or brick, upon which
the pans were set. The daily product
was increased, and a cleaner. better
sugar was made. Evaporators have
now taken the place of the pans ; the
sugar makers have been learning better
methods each year, but it is still possi-
BILE to obtain dark sugar. Put out
unwashed buckets neglect to strain
your sap or to gather it often leave a
little in each bucket to sour the rest
boil in all the dead leaves and twigs
that fall, or are blown, into your buck
cts set your dipper, sticky with syrup,
into dirty place, and never wash it
before using; put your syrup into old
and dark-colored wooden buckets and
then leave it for days before sugaring
it off, and in this way you can obtain
sugar of butternut color.
The best Vermont maple sugar is of
a rich golden color and has flavor
that pleases the daintiest palates. A
good apparatus, vigilance and persist
ent cleanliness must be maintained
where this is produced. The best sap
comes from trees standing upon rocky
hillsides that coming from trees stand
ing upon moist land is thin and often
has a poor flavor. At the close of each
season, all the sugar apparatus is care
fully cleaned. At the commencement
of the next season, 10 is again cleaned.
Good tin or pine buckets are used
where the best sugar orsyrup is made.
A small hole is bored into each tree,
and into this hole is put metallic
spout carrying hook to which the
bucket is hung. In convenient place
there stands sugar house in which is
a tight arch, from one end of which
rises at the other end is an
iron door and CRATE. Upon the archi
an iron door and CRATE. Upon the
arch is found large evaporator. On
one side of the arch, and upon higher
level than that Of the evaporator, is
large, metal-lined sap holder. The
sap is taken from the buckets, in a
arge pine holder placed upon an OK or
horse sled, to the sugarhouse where,
from an outside eminence, it runs into
the larger holder in the house. When
he sap is poured from the buckets into
he first holder, or draw tut, it is care
July strained, and when it goes INTO .
he sugarhouse holder, it is strained ,
again. A pipe conducts the sap from /
his holder into the evaporator and di-
-ectly over the fire. Its flow is auto ,
natically governed. Metallic parti .
ions run back and forth across the