The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-06
VERMONT MAPLE SUGAR.
DECEPTIVE DISPLAYS THdT TELL m
SPRINGS COMING.
nriHcra Trying TO Protect Their Prodr.,.
Against thr Competition OF Bogus Mai.
suERr-tmportnncc oC the Maple spr.s
Crop-The finrys.t limo Ncar n, u,..

nrincra Trying TO Protect Their Prodr.,.
Against tn" Cornppiiiton or Bogus Mani.
suERr-lnportnncc OF the aiRpic Sue
Crop-The Harvest limo Wear at upr,
RUTLAND. VT. March A. Henry n,V,,
Thureau. in EARLY Spring in Massachusetts"
tolls of his-scarch of many years FOR the cerll,,,
sign Of spring and how he was finally led TO ibs
conclusion that the skunk cabbage wns entitled
70 the palm. Had Thoreau lived In Vcrnor,
i,e would have missed the very earliest indic,.
ton that winter had passed the sunmit,ona
was gliding down tho sunny slope toward
warmer DAYS, for it Is in the store window,
rather than in woods and fields that the fra,
sign is seen. This is the appearance Of brown
granular Jumps labelled new maple sugar.
which arc placed on sale from n week to n month
or moro before tho sap OF the maple begins IN
run through the trunk and.branchcs Of the tree.
What this new maple sugar is composcd n,
has never been determined by analysis. In
somo cases it is real maple sugar of the vsnor,
of one or several seasons back. and oftcncr II IL
a weird combination Of New Orleans molasse.
and tho rich. nutritious sand found in the stat.
which Is most famous for its maple sugar. IA
antedatcs the appearance of the bluebird, the
earliest migrant in these parts, and no liyinp
vegetation has ever attempted to compete with
II. Needless to say, neither has maple sugar.
But IL is not: alone before real maple sugar
makes its appearance in the market that the
imitation is on sale, and to save the reputation
Of the state Tor producing the best and puress
rs we'll rs the most maple sugar OF any section
Of the country, Vermont farmers have this
year formed the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers
Association, an organization which they hone
will reach the desired end. This association In
cooperative in its methods. 1t will be capital.
lied at $4,000. in shares of $40 each. After
the stock is sold a trade bureau will be estab.
lished at some central point, and at this bureau
the product of the maple tree will he received
from makers in tho form OF syrup, in casks and
kegs supplied by the bureau. The syrup will
be graded and credited to the person sending II,
some part of the value of the goods will be paid
to tho producer on their receipt at the station
and the remainder at the close of the years
business. 1t is proposed to get a registered
trade mark or seal for goods marketed
through this bureau. The promoters hope to
control almost the entire sugar crop of the State,
thereby protecting the reputation Of Vermont
maple sugar against the dangers which threaten
1t from spurious and adulterated sugar sold in
the large cities under the name of Vermont
sugar and to keep the price Of the real stuH at Q
higher level than can be maintained by individ.
ual dealers. 1t is. in short, a maple sugar trust
for the benefit of farmers. The success Of tho
scheme is still predetermined.
There are farmers to-day in remote corners Of
New England who seldom see white sugar in
their homes and use for swectening what most
people consider a more or less expensive lux.
ury. Think of n lump of straw-colored maple
sugar in your cup of coffee, or of cake frosting
OF maple sugar. To the farmers of this State,
the maple sugar crop.is still an important one for
several reasons. In the first place, it Is gath.
cred when little other farm work can be done.
Then n sugar orchard needs no attention or cul-
~tivation. and, not the last of the advantages OF
the crop. it puts into many farmers pockets
almost:the only ready money they handle during
the year. and brings n good return for the labor
and capital invested. Hence it is not surpris.
ing that more and more attention is being paid
every year to this branch of farm work. Sci.
ence and ingenuity have Joined hands in bring.
ing the process Of maple sugar making to n high
state of culture At.the time of the landing Of
the Pilgrims, the North American Indian was
manufacturing sugar by making an incision
catching the sap ia birch bark YES.
sells, and by heat reducing it to syrup. II did
not take the white man long to discover thar
and he improved on his red brothers
methods of gathering by substituting spouts
hot iron, for the diagonal groove in the maple
bark. At first the sap was boiled in an iron
Of sheet iron was laid upon parallel walls Of
stone. BY, degrees improvements on these uten.
SllS were introduced, until to-day the eyapOr0s
on scientific principles, does the work.
en- haklh IS gsa %fiBRls s So clr,n and syrup Phi sU mnH.
syrup, commands the best price, since tho
colored is the purest. Hence every
In Vermont the middle Of March is ordi.
narily as early as the gathering of sap can he
month before that when sap will run. Last
sunday some maple tress In this neighbour
sent forth good streams Of gan Rut the farnIpr
must wait until unmistakable signs Of the
work, and then he must strike quickly, for the
interval between winter and summer is a shoro
First comes the March sun. warming up
mud, and with this biang March Winds Which
he day. The bluebird and robin have been
in the farmyard for a week. and tho
,udS OF the elm and maple are beginning 10
Then it Is that the farmer decides that
he time is ripe to begin sugaring. So one AT.
ernoon he drives forth behind an OK team with
which may contain any where from 900 10
ZOO trees. puts "A bucket at the foot of each
md in the morning with his hired men goes
gain TO the orchard to tap. One man "~rosses'
on the south side Of the tree. about four feet
rom the ground; another follows him withS
.olf,ineh anger. with which he, bores 9 hols
'uts in the spouts and hangs the buckets.
q fire has been started under tho
) a favorable one. by the middle OF the after.
,oon everything is in full swing. Two men
or two Or three weeks and sometimes longer.
nights and warm, sunny days con.
titute good sugar weather. for II there is no
rost at night and no thaw during the day the
up will not run well. BY the time the sugar
eason ID ended spring has come.
vermont farmers have found out recently
hat 1t pays better to make syrup at Sl,25A
allon than sugar, at 10 and II cents n pound.
ugar made to-day. The best syrup weighs
leven pounds to the gallon and is light amber
2 color. 1t is n discovery also Of recent date
hat maple syrup need not resemble molasses:
n fact, except for the action OF the ozone of
he air on the sap, perfectly pure. sugar would