St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1904-04-13

$z.Zo oy selling dry. Many obtain no
stumpage and hardly days pay.
1t takes about two maple trees on an
average for cord, so the trees standing
are worth Is TO rs cents apiece for wood.
What of Mr.. Bronson's demand for
wood?" Why are people selling the
finest maple trees in the world for rs
cents apiece? Trees that ought to be
paying them a profit of 20 cents each
every year? Killing the goose that lays
the golden egg! But worms and wood
together do not tell of halt the devasta-
ton to our maple orchards. The lum-
berman's ak resounds in every part OF
the state and many grand old sugar
orchard has been wiped from the face of
the earth forever to furnish flooring and
chair stock. For this purpose it is
worth about the same as for wood.
Why, / ask again, do people throw
away one of Vermont's greatest bless
ings and attractions! My answer is the
average Vermonter has become discour-
aged. He has worked hard, shoveled
roads In the snow, gathered sap on
snow shoes with yoke and pals, wal
lowed his team to their sides in snow,
wallowed himself all day from tree to
tree, did chores after dark and returned
to the sugar place and boiled sugar all
night. This is continued till the snow is
gone and the warm weather comes and
after all his hard work he finds that his
sugar will hardly pay for the making.
He sees he ought to have been at the
spring work two weeks before he gave
up sugaring, and he swears he will never
sugar again, and he keeps his word.
Let not Mr.. Bronson .or Mr.. Spear
paint any bright picture Of Vermont's
sugar industry, so long as hundreds OF
tons more of imitation maple sugar is
made in the large cities than genuine
sugar is made in New England. What
is the use of farmers working so hard
for month when other men can make
maple sugar that fills the bill under
cover in good, clean quarters the year
around in Chicago?
I have Travelled quite a little in YER
mont, my native state, and have found
conditions regarding sugar making all
over the state very much as described.
have Travelled through Michigan, Min
nesota and North Dakota and found
that in every village of any size in those
states, and I am sure the same is true OF
many other states, maple sugar can be
bought at any store where confectionery
is sold. But in the West never found
any real, genuine maple sugar but once,
and that was at Fargo, N. D., where
merchant sent to Marshfeld. VT, and
got quantity of real maple sugar which
nobody there but New Englanders recog-
nized. Most people thought it adulter-
ated.
The possibilities of the maple sugar
industry in Vermont are great because
the product will always be small and the
market large. There is no honest COM
petition that can lower the price. All
the maple sugar made in season would
not give one-half the families in the
United States even little ''sugaring of" "
Vermont farmers, save your naples.
They will yet prove a treasure. Some
maple sugar makers may get together
and form a trust. Some day congress
may investigate. Some day maple sugar
makers may do something for themselves
by way of advestising their product
and enlightening benighted world on
the subject of maple sugar. Some time
the maple sugar industry will revive with
maple sugar at Is cents pound. Then
will the sugar season again become the
happiest of the year.
The selection of J. L. Southwick, man.
aging editor of the Burlington Free
Press, as chairman of the committee on
resolutions at the coming state conven-
ton is fitting recognition of party
loyalty and faithful service. The plat
form will be model of good English and
ringing endorsement of our President
and his policies, all of (which will
delight every republican in the Green
Mountain state.