The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-04-21
American Maple
Something About
a Very Useful Tree.


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Blessed above all other trees OF the
American woodland, the beloved maple
carries within it the basis for the most
delicious sweet known 70 the palate of
man. Not only is the maple a beautiful
shade tree. vigorous, hardy and symmet-
rical, but its timber is valuable for cab
met making, or for fuel and its sap is
converted into the toothsome maple
syrup and sugar of commerce.
The season in southern Vermont, Penn
sylvania. Ohio and some counties in New
York state opens near the middle of
March. Much depends upon the weather.
continued cold delaying the tapping of
the trees a week or more. The season is
later as one goes northward. lasting wei
into April near the Canadian border.
Warm, sunshiny days. which thaw the
frozen ground. and sharp nights which
freeze it again, are absolutely essential
to the manufacture OF maple sugar. The
sap win not flow under any other condi-
lions.
The noble family of trees from which
maple suagr is made consists of about
sixty species. They are known in scien-
] tihc language as the acers. Of the order
! Aceraccoe. They are found throughout
North America, in some parts of Europe
and in southern Asia. Two species are
best known, the sugar maple CA. sac
charinum) and scarlet maple -. rubrum).
Sometimes the sap Of 4. rubrum, known
in different localities as scarlet" from
the color OF its flowers, or as white
maple, from the purity OF color OF its
wood, is used, but though the flow is
much larger. the saccharine matter is
much less and the sugar is generally very
dark-colored- Only these two species of
the great maple family supply sweet sap.
Though the sugar maple includes prac-
tically the entire northern border of the
country in its habitat. It reaches perfec-
ton only in the northern portion of Yer
mont and New Hampshire, and in the ex-
IRENE northern part of New York Yer
mont produces more maple sugar than
any other state in the union. with New
York next. When the sugar bounty was
in force, Vermont was paid almost as
much money as Louisiana for its output
of sugar, and the repeal Of the bounty
law was fought very hard by her repre-
sentatves and senator's in congress Some
years ago a count Of the maple trees in
the state was made. The number ran up
TO about ten millions That has probably
changed by this time. though it is more
likely 70 have Increased than otherwise.
The average annual output including
syrup as well as sugar, is about twelve
million pounds, worth, on the average,
! ten cents a pound
The principal sugar makers of the state
have formed the Vermont Maple Sugar
Makers association, which has educated
the makers until an almost absolutely
pure product is produced-using pure IN
the sense of being free from natural i'm
purities. The new methods of making
render the introduction Of Impurities al
most impossible.
The sap of the maple. from which the
sugar is made. is obtained by tapping
the tree. This is accomplished by boring
ing IN the trunk a hole about five-eighths
Of an inch in diameter and two and one
half inches deep, two or three feet from
the ground. At the beginning Of the
season the trees are tapped on the south
or east sides, because the sun is warmer
there and the sape flows more freely
Later the buckets are shifted to the other
sides. In old times, a wood spout. made
from the sumach or elder tree with the
pith punched out was inserted in the
hole, and the open wood bucket was sus-
pended from a nail driven in below Us
ually two spouts were arranged to drip
into one bucket, though in large trees
sometimes three spouts were driven. Two.
three and occasionally four buckets were
placed at a tree. the number depending
upon the sic of the tree and its location.
whether in the thick woodland OF in the
open. Experienced sugar makers say
that the tree should be tapped on the
swells, which extend up the trunk
from The roots. 1t is believed that these
swelsi, which can be seen on any tree.
carry relatively larger portion of the
sap than the depressed portions. Wood
spouts are now practically unknown. and
galvanized iron, furnished with hooks
upon which the basket may be hung. are
used instead The buckets are always of
bright tin, and most of them have covers.
which prevent the dropping in of leaves.
bits of bark, or other foreign substances
which tend 10 discolor the sap.
1t takes about seven OF eight quarts Of
sap, on an average. TO make a pound of
sugar. and an average tree yields six
pounds of sugar. It varies. however. the
location of the tree having an important
stands near a brook yields more sap but
influence upon the proportion of sacchar-
inc matter in the sap. A tree winch
less sugar. One standing on a dry knon
viii run slowly. but there VIII bee more
sugar. proportionately. Trees have been
known which yielded pound OF sugar to
five quarts OF sap. This is exceptional and
should not be accepted as a basis for
estimate. the sap itself varies in its
specific gravity as soon as it flows from
the tree and If the sap from different
observable through all the processes to
the finished sugar. No one has been able
to tell why
In the ordinary sugar orchard. or
bush" as il is termed the sap is gath
cred by means OF large casks. or holders.
fastened TO a sled, drawn by oxen in
those sections where oxen are raised but
generally by horses. A sort OF yoke is
fashioned from the trunk Of a tree TO
at over the shoulders. from the er.is o.
which depend two wood hooks. Upon
these hooks are hung the gathering pals
which can be carried more easily this
way than in the hands. and there is much
less danger Of spfling. The cask holds.
perhaps. forty gallons. though not infre-
quently a hogshead IS used II made
purposely. the gathering cask usually
consists OF barrel larger al the bottom
the top. The top IS covered. with the
exception of q square hole. which IS cut
out slanting. 50 that the piece cut out
acts as a cover. The piece needs 70 be-
more than wster-tight. because SO lirn-
pid is sap that il WI so through
crack where water cannot Accordingly.
it IS part Of the preliminary work 10
soak all the wood vessels Thoroughly In
boiling hot water. Formerly. when wood