Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1897-08-04
MAPLE SUGAR LORE.
Vermont Not the Chief Producer
of the Article
Other States Are Now vyfAg with
Ia Green Mountain 9tate IN
the Excellence of Their
Sugar.

posed to be the one great source of
the country's maple sugar supply, and
yet Vermont makes less than one-fif-
teenth of the whole. Vermont's repu-
tation for producing the finest quality
of sugar is deserved, for the sugar
makers of hat state were the first to
recognize the Importance of the COM
modify as a factor in domestic as well
as foreign commerce, and to bring to
its manufacture not only scientific
helps, but the potent aid of observation
and study of the maple tree, and the
effects upon it of climate, soil and
meteorological conditions. Vermont
maple sugar has national fame, as has
Goshen butter, although there is not a
pound of butter made in or round
Goshen that enters market now, nor
has there been for years.
"New York city dealers sold ~, OOO,-
900 pounds of maple sugar last year.
Three-quarters of that amount was sold
as Vermont sugar, at least 1000, 900
pounds more than that state produces.
To-day Delaware and C~attaraugas
counties in this state, some of the
northern tier counties of Pennsylvania,
particularly Susquehanna and Wayne,
and more particularly a central coun-
ty Of
the counties of the Western Reserve of
Ohio. are making maple sugar equal to
the very best that ever came from Vei-
mont, Just as our Delaware and Che
mung counties, and certain counties as
far away as Illinois, are making the
butter that people set in their ways are
to-day buying under the old name and
fame of Goshen butter. So, while
maple sugar bought as Vermont sugar
in this city may not be the Green
Mountain state product, buyers may
rest easy. The chances are that they
have got made in New York,
Pennsylvania or Ohio, but it is just as
good.
THE true maple sugar season begins
about March 1, and lasts until the mid
die of April, yet one sees every year,
early in February, in the high-priced
fancy groceries of this city, tempting
looking bars and cakes of maple sugar
labeled "Vermont-First Rum The
grocers buy that article for just what
they represent it to be to their Gus
toners. but instead of being the first
run of the Vermont sugar camps it is
the last run of the year before, and
something else. At the close of every
maple suga- son certain Vermont
dealers, and dealers in other sugar.
making localities, too, buy up from the
farmers all the poor or refuse siruT
and they have on hand. These
| dealers send out agents through the
x-.-A-- a. 1,- 49, Ak.~ f.o- 4asl
end stock. 1t is bought cheap, and is
kept over until the next winter. AS
early as January the dealers begin to
prepare it for the market. The siruI
| 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 il
shipped to New York and other cities
as the very first of the new crop OF
Vermont maple sugar before a tree ha:
been tapped for h seasons run O
sap. Although it has zone of the
flavor of genuine maple sugar, the cit.
felix's buy it at fancy prices and gioat
over it.
"It is the popular belief that pure
maple sugar is invariably known by it:
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 ust
could not make it light. But it was full
I of impurities all the same. No adulter
a~tions. but natural impurities. Now
adays it is not the dark maple sugal
that should be regarded as the pure
article, for it is more apt to be tn
most impure The very best maple
sugar that comes from Vermont or else
where is of a light, clear, dry. GLOSSY
brown-so very light, indeed, that ]
looks like clarified beeswax."-N. y
Sun.