The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-07-09
MAPLE SUGAR LORE. {
~ - :;
Vermont Not the Chief Producer
of the Article.
Other States Are Now Vying with
the Green Mountain State in
the Excellence of Their
Sugar.

Vermont, for some reason sai5 "a
commission dealer, "is generally sMG-.
posed to be the one great source eoE
the country's maple sugar supply, and
yet Vermont makes less than one-ff
1eenth of the whole. Vermont's re3p-.
1ation for producing the finest qualify
of sugar is deserved, for the sug:sr.
makers of that state were the first 4s'
recognize the Importance of the corrl-
modify as factor in domestic as welt
as foreign commerce, and to bring tr
its manufacture not only scentifss.
helps, but the potent aid of obse rva1ien
and study of the maple tree, and ths=
effects upon it of climate, soil ansS
meteorological conditions. Vermont.
Goshen butter, although there is not g.
pound of butter made in or aronnis
Goshen that enters market now, nn--
has there been for years.
"New York city dealers sold 12,OOn,-
900 pounds of maple sugar last year.
Three-quarters of that amount was solsa
as Vermont sugar, at least 4,OOe, DOE
pounds more than that state produces
To-day Delaware and Cattaraugas
counties in this state, some of the
northern tier counties of Pennsylvania.
particularly Susguehanna and Wayne,
and more particularly a central coan-
ty of Pennsylvania--Som omerset-besidew
the counties of the Western Reserve OF
Ohio, are making maple sugar equal yss
the very best that ever came from Vers
mont, just as our Delaware and Che
mung counties, and certain counties ss
far away as Illinois, are. making the
hutter that people set in their ways are
to-day buying under the old name ani3
fame of Goshen butter. SO, white
maple sugar bought as Vermont sugar
in this city may not be the Greem
Mountain state product, buyers mag
rest easy. The chances are that thew
have got sugar made in New York,
Pennsylvania or Ohio, but it is just as
good.
''I'he true maple sugar season begirs
about March l, and lasts until the mid
die of April. yet one sees every year,
early in February, in the hign-price,l
fancy groceries of this city, tempting.
looking bars and cakes Of maple sugar
labeled "Nermont-First Run The
grocers buy that article for just wbat.
they represent it to be to their Gus
toners. but instead of being the frs
run of the Vermont sugar camps it is
the last run of the year before, and
something else. At the close of every
maple sugar season certain Vermont,
dealers, and dealers in other sugar
making localities, too, buy up from the,
farmers all the poor or refuse sirnp
ard sugar they have on hand. THESE,
dealers send out agents through the,
country to hunt up this inferior tail
end stock. 1t is bought cheap, and rs
kept over until the next winter AS
early as January the dealers begin to,
prepare it for the market. The sirnp
and sugar are boiled together with
large additions Of cheap brown sugar
and glucose. The result of this re
vamping of the last years inferior
goods into goods still more inferior is
shipped to New York and other cities
as the very first of the new crop of
Vermont maple sugar before tree has
been tapped for the seasons run or
sap. Although it has none of the
flavor of genuine maple sugar, the city
felix's buy it at fancy prices and g,oat
over it.
1T 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 ful7
of impurities all thesame. No adulter-
ations, but natural impurities. Now
adays it is not the dark maple sugar
THAT should be regarded as 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 il
locks like clarified beeswax."-N. Y
Sun.