The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-22
M.PLE suGAR MAKING.
Interesting Process of Manufacture
in the Western Reserve of Ohio.
From the Plttsburg I'D Dlspatch.

in the western HGSerNe oil Onko.
From the Pittsburg (Pa) Dispatch
Many of the largest sugar camps IN
America are located in the Western Re-
serve of Ohio. The industry is increasing
in its scope. On a genuine sugar-mak-
ing morning thousands of tin buckets may
be seen hanging from the spiles in the
trees. The term sugar bush" strictly
speaking, applies only to the maple trees.
of a designated territory. 1t is commonly
used however, as synonymous with "sug-
ar camp" The season does not usually
begin in earnest until the latter part OF
February.
The making of maple syrup and maple
sugar is an interesting process. The IA
cilltes Of quarter of a century ago were
/ very crude. The cap coursed from the
| trees through wooden spiles and flowed
into wooden troughs which had been hewn
out OF a -foot-sength of log split In
two. The sup was transferred from these
troughs to large kettles by a man carry
| ing two wooden buckets, suspended from
| "A wooden yoke, which he bore on his
! shoulders. The boiling apparatus consist
| ed of iron kettles supported by chains
| swung over wooden standards. Wood and
! brush We're used for fuel Thus amid
| leaves, ashes and dirt, sap was converted
| into syrup and sugar
| The man in those days who could give
| his attention to $50 trees during the sea-
| son had his hands full, even though a
! half-dozen kettles were in constant use,
! with enough employees to keep the fires
aglow. Men carried sap from early morn
ing till shutdown to keep pace with the
| flow from the trees.
| To-day a large sugar bush consists of
from 500 to LOCO trees. AT the opening of
| the season at least one-half-inch hole
is bored into every tree. In a tree with
a diameter of three feet there might be
many as six holes In the average bush
! but two holes are bored in each tree.
They are about two inches deep. Into
them a metal Spite is fixed. New holes
are bored every year. Were it not for
! The steady growth of the tree the num-
Der of these holes might indicate the age
OF the camp, but the growth soon obliter
ates every opening. When the spiles are
inserted the tin buckets are hung upon
them. AS to how quickly they will fiji
depends entirely upon the weather. The
best maple sugar making weather is when
frosty nights are followed by warm days.
The season may last from few days to
two months, but usually continues for
about six weeks ending the last of March.
In a camp of from 800 to LOCO trees two
men, each with a team htched to a sled,
begin the circuit of the bush, emptying
the buckets as they come to them. They
make frequent visit to the sugar house.
This occupies all their time throughout
the day. The territory to cover is large,
there being from 20 to 40 trees to the
acre in the average sugar bush.
The sap is hauled in tub-like tanks on
the sleds, each holding a hogshead or
more, and from these, on reaching the
-arrr 10 Az inc "a roH ss.4Ia
Der tubing into a storage tank, usually IS
feet long, 4 feet wide. and feet deep.
From this tank it is piped into the evap
Grating or circulating pan through an au-
tomato feeder, which, when the pan is
sufficiently full, shuts off the stream, and
as the evaporation progresses turns it on
again The bottom of this circulating pan
is a succession of ribs, around which the
sap passes as the fire burns beneath it,
and thus the evaporating goes on.
When the therm ometer in the evapora-
tor reaches 2l8 degrees Fahrenheit gate
way is opened into another compartment
of the evaporatng pan, and when the
liquid reaches this place it is syrup of
the standard make or twelve pounds to
the gallon.
The syrup is next dipped out into set
Ting vat Here the sugar and sand settles
and through a faucet little distance
from the bottom the pure. clear syrup is
drawn off, and is ready 10 be placed in
cans, and labeled.
The Ohio law provides that makers of
maple syrup shall attach to each can a
label guaranteeing the purity of the goods
and bearing the makers name.
When maple sugar is to be made the
evaporating is continued until the syrup
viii wax upon cake of ice, which is
proof that it is ready to be run into molds.
The average yield of sugar tree is about
a gallon of syrup. A tree six feet in diam
eter, which is a quite uncommon size.
has been known to yield a barrel of sap
in twenty-four hours. Maple syrup brings
in price from 80 cents to 81 per gallon, de-
pending upon the quality and the season.