The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1894-03-02

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take his chances.
Yet, there are many points which will
very much aid us in this wonderful and
useful branch of business. When we
have changeable weather during the win
ter, with frequent thaws and moist at
mOsphere, we find sap accumulating in
the naples, and we may calculate that
the first runs will be much sweeter than
when we have an even cold winter.
Every tree, shrub or plant breathes
the atmosphere, it is taken in as the
twigs or lungs, become decomposed, the
tree retaining the oxygen and that por-
tion which it needs to sustain life, and
inVigorate its growth; the hydrogen and
obnoxious elements are thrown off,
which, being much lighter than air,
quickly rise into ethereal air, there to as
sist in forming vapor, clouds, meteOrs,
etc. The vapOr in the atmosphere is re-
:ained IN the tree, and when the tree be-
comes cold enough, the vapor is con-
densed and takes the liquid form, and
when 1T has had time to partake of the
catnre of the tree, it becomes sweet and
we call it sap.
Sugar orchards differ very much in
running early. Those very much ex-
posed to north, northwest or north. east
winds are apt to do much better later in
the season. AS rule, would not ad-
wise tapping until quite sure of sap
weather, for continued spells of dry at
mosphere will very much retard the fu-
ture flow of sap, unless the sugar maker
has some instrument very much like a
rimmer TO smooth, recut and clean the
grai-s in the hole. The larger and more
porous grains of the tree will run. the
most sap and make the whitest sugar,
but the sap is not quite so sweet as that
obtained from the inner grains. The
first or larger grains will make the most
sugar on account of the much larger
flow of sap, consequently care should be
taken not to stop the first grains with
the spout. The most healthy and vigOr-
Gus side of tree, other things being
equal, will run the most sap; maple
stump will breathe and accumulate sap
while there is life in the root (but there
is not much sweetness in iD, until sun,
wind and storm has closed the pores and
shut out Lourishment from the atmo-
sphere.
Maple trees, standing among ever
green's, such as spruce, pine or hemlOck,
win make much darker sugar than those
growing only with hard wood trees.
And then, the soil has much to do with
the quality and color of sugar; trees
standing on lime stone soil will de-
vclop much larger per cent of nitre
than those on lighter soils, especially
after dry season, for during n drought
the tree is deprived of much of the
moisture received from the atmosphere,
and in its extra exertiOn to get moisture
from the earth, it takes in a mnch larger
proportion OF nitre than it would in or
dinary seasons, and the next spring our
syrup will be largely impregnated with
nitre, which, if we do not get rid of,
will make our sugar dark and gritty.
When such is the case, t is better not TO
run our syrup too thick before straining,
for the nitre will settle and scorch or
burn on the pan or evaporation, and the
syru 2 S9:nparrments will become glazed
with 1t and thus color the whole batch.
In such cases, the evaporator should be
washed and thoroughly cleanscd every
day. If it is desired to make sugar for
the highest POlariscopic test, the syrup
should be well strained before it gets too
thick, and when put on to sugar off,
should be reduced with a quart or SO of
clean strained sap for cleansing; while
this is heating and reducing the syrup,
the nitre and other impurities will be
set free; when it has well boiled for five
or ten minutes, it should again be
strained AMI let stand to cool and settle.
Then carefully pound off, leaving the
settings to be again cleansed or put in
To- vinegar. l have a neighbor, Mr.. A.
d. Whitney, who made the most of his
sugar, last spring, as above described,
and he got two cents per pound bounty,
and was offered nine cents for his sugar.
1t is question whether it pays, finan-
cially, to try to obtain the highest test
by the polariscope, aud get the two
cents per pound bounty, for all the nitre
and sediment you take from the sugar,
you take so many pounds from its
weight, but should you get the reputa-
tion of making the best, and thereby OBJ.
tain higher priced market for your
sugar, you would be amply rewarded for
all extra labor. Tho test of sugar de.
Dends mainly on two conditions, its pur-
ity and it's hardness. Impure sugar can
not be boiled down hard enough to get
the highest test, neither can soft sugar
be pure enough to get the highest test.
Success to the Vermont sugar maker
while the bounty lasts, you are sure to
get it for the coming season, and it may
be continued, if Democracy doesn't sue
ceed in Ginning every industry