The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-04-11
IMITATION MAPLE SUGAR.
VERMONT MAKERS SEEKING 4 WAY
OF PROJECTING THEMSELTES.

10y.
More "vermont maple suEar- Manufacture
In Chicago Alone Than II Produced BY tho
Entire Green Mountain stnte-Groat Extent
of the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Present Evils.
The FIRST shipments Of the new crop Of maple
sugar reRan TO reach this city from Vermont
and the North Woods OF New York during the
last days Of March, and the indications arc that
there Is going to be as big q crop rs there was
three years ago when the Wholesale price went
down to 81 cents a pound. The big dealers in
this city do not expect that IL will reach 80 low
a figure again. but It is likely to sell for not
more than @ cents a pound. Maple euEar does
not play u large part in the industries OF tho
whole country, 3ut 1t 10 a very important prod
uct In the limited territory in which 1t Is
made, and a material difference in its price
from year TO year makes n great difference TO
the incomes OF thousands of little farmers. Two
years ago the crop was short, and tho price
went away up tn 12h cents. Last year there
was q fair run Of sap, but the farmers had had
q taste of a good thing, aud they held out for
something like the prices Of the year before.
The result was, the dealers say, that n great
many of the zap Ratherers have got their crop
of last year on hand yet. All they will lose by
this is the possible interest on its value. for
maple sugar, liko.cane sugar. can be kept for
fooio- III AhAb, NV kEcuttT ptIJ VI taCn year 3
crop is always kept either by the farmers or the
dealers from spring. when 1t is made, until
the season for buck wheat CAKES comes around
In the GLOWING fall and winter.
Few people know what n lot of maple sugar
is made In this country every year. and what
an important part the income from its produce
WSo P TSe on N the eS1sS% OF ,5 b. t bic ' sn0Ss f 10 :
number of tates. Vermont is the standard
bearer in both the amount OF her production
and its quality, but New York is a close sec
ond.. The two States make Just about two
thirds of all the maple sugar and syrup pro-
duced in the whole country. In making an
,Stimate OF this sort It seems necessary TO sepa-
rate the known producte o. the maple tree from
those which have q doubtful origin. for il is
said that II nothing but pure maple sugar or
syrup we're sold there wouldn't be a uonnd Of
the one nor a drop OF the other 10 go beyond
cago. while there i, a much greater amount
sold in the territory on the other side OF the
Lake ,Ciiy; There is %probably, no article in
the whole list OF groceries which 10 more ad al
to-atcd than maple syrun or even maple sugar,
AID the worst of this is that the biggest deal
era acknowledge that there is no way in which
the ordinary. person can distinguish the good
from. the bad except by the exercise OF q cult
Nearly all the maple sugar or syrup sold +,
branded Pure Vermont and set il liz assert
ed that in the city OF Chicago alone there Is
gathered In the whole Green Mountain State.
That Is but one of the commercial ceutres
where maple syrup is made. and the total OF
he spurious output must be enormous. There
Is probably some maple sugar In each package
OF the Adulteratcd material, but the bulk OF IL
IS made up OF glucose, and sometimes OF common
brown cane sugar. Glucose Is, OF course, the
favorite for this purpose. for II costs only
about a cent q pound. while at present prices
at least. the pront in using cane sugar would
be small.
The Vermont maple sugar makers arc get
ting n good deal worked up over the use OF
their.name and reputation for the paI,ning off
OF bogus goods, and at a recent meeting OF the
Rutland some interesting things were.said
about this condition of things. and a PROPOSE
ton was made TO form a sort OF map.e sugar
clearing house and exchange. which should
give a standard rating to all the sugar OF the
state, handle II all. and guarantee its quality
by the exchanges own brands
The scattered character OF the maple sugar
making industry and the smallness OF each
mans "a iherings. com bined will, the careless.
ness and perhaps indifference OF the farmers
themselves, seem to have had much to do with
the success OF the imitators OF maple prod
ucta. There is not even q standard package in
which the sugar or syrup comes TO the market
from the PRODUCERS. let alone q standard OF
color and flavor. COMPARATIVELY littl. syrup
comes directly from the farmers, although
nearly the entire crop is finally used in that
form. Syrup will not keep except when il is espe-
cisliy PREPARED and hacked in cans or jars. aud
as each years crop must be Kept over until fail
or winter, the farm-rs make II into sugar and
tubs holding from ffty to eirh,y pounds and
in square. cakes ranging in weight from enc
pound each to Eve ponds. When 1t is sent
In cakes the cakes are packed in secondhand
packing boxes. w,ich hold from so pounds to
roo pounds. II the cakes are light colored
iuu Ulhut lTbtt tllt HTst run u sap IueS DTlnK
about n cent a pour d more than the sugar in
tubs. for they find n market in the retail stores.
where they are broken into PIECES TO DO eaten
be made into syrup. The tub sugar goes almost
exclusively TO tho manufacturers, who make IL
up into syrup. or 70 confeCtioners who make q
speciality of maple sugar candies.
We enter the field against adrlterated
goods with very inuch to our DISADVANTAGE
said one OF the biz Vermont maple sugar max
ers. There can be shown greater diversity
between tho favors Of pure goods OF different
Frn.kA - flun Nra rarN ahn- Va a -~.A 49,
and adulterated goods. This c%ontuses the pub
lie mind as TO what mamie sugar should be-"
Sugar Makers Association mado tho sueges-
ton which the Vermont men may act upon to
care the present evils: This was for the farm
convenient railroad centre in the State and
ship all their goods thtther in the syrup form,
AT the factory the syrup would be graded and
credited according TO It's grade and quantity TO
the owner. 1t would be reduced to sugar or
prepared as marketable syrup, Just az the mar
ket demanded, and the product would be sold
In regulation packages. each marked with a
"Farmers.' he said. cannot go out and find
y market for twenty-hye. nifty, or seventy: five
gallons OF syrup, and the man.who sells 5000
Worth of maple sugar in a year IS an e1csption."
Vermont has a population OF only about 332,-
500. and she makes about 1900. 900 pounds
OF maple sugar every year. II 5000 worth Of
sugar a year we've q fair average for each sugar
farmer. It would take about 5000 OF them to
produce It. and this would ind lcate that lust
about one farmer in thirteen In the whole State
taps the sugar maple trees.
New York State produces about IL 200. 900
rounds of maple sugar every year. Michigan
about $500. 900 pounds. Ohio about 1900. 900
ponnds: Pennsylvania, $3.50, 900 pounds: New
Hs mpshire. 900 pounds. and Massachu-
setts, 900; 900 pounds. The balance OF about
80 900. 900. pounds comes from Wisconsin.
West Virginia. Indiana, Maryland. Maine. viz
Ginia. Illinois. Minnesota, Kentucky. Missouri.
Iowa. and Connecticut in quantities of from
about $50 900 pounds for the first TO As. 900
for the last, and small quantities from Tonnes
zee, New Jersey. North Carolina, and Nebraska.
$4,000. 900. and OF this little Vermont gets ST.
900. 900. When tho United States paid a
bounty OF two cents n pouNd IN oil kinda Of
sugar, beginning In 1902. nearly 5000 maple
sugar makers IN Vermont alone applied for the
blanks TO mako returns upon.