News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1904-04-27
A PLEA FOR VERMONT NAPLES.
Farmers Too Ready to Slash Down Their
SUGAR Orchards as UnprOfitabIe.

Farmers Too Ready to Slash Down Their
Sugar Orchards as Improbable.
"a. D. Kimball in New England Homestead,
| read recently in New England
Homestead an interview with Il. G.
Bronson of Vermont, regarding the
maple sugar industry, which to my
mind is misleading. | do not know
how the maple sugar crop compares
now with 20 years ago, but l am sure
it must be much smaller. AS. MIR.
Bronson says, worms have done some
damage, and some orchards have
been cut down to supply wood to
large towns, but that does not tell
the story. The price of green 16-inch
stabbed or blocked wood has but in
few places gone above 81 so a solid
cord, and dry wood of the same kind
Sc. In fact, taking all the large
places, say of 600 people up to the
largest, | am sure that the average
price of wood tor the past ten Years
would not average as high as the
above figures. AT least one-half of
the wood is sold green. 1t costs on
an average 1925 q solid cord to saw,
split and pile wood, and, if on a two.
trip route, 81. 80 a solid cord to de-
liver. lit Is One-trip route, as is
often the case, it will cost twice as
much. Some may get rs cents a sohd
cord stumpage by selling dry; some
the same by selling green, and some
may get 1925 by selling dry. Many
obtain no stumpage and hardly a
days pay.
1t takes about two maple trees on
an average for a cord, SO the trees
standing are worth % to rs cents
apiece for wood. What OF Mr.. Bron-
sons demand for wood ?" Why are
people selling the finest maple trees in
the world for % cents apiece? Trees
that ought to be paying them a
profit OF 20 cents eacn, every year ?
Killing thegoose that lays the golden
egg! But worms and wood together
do not tell of halt the devastation to
our maple orchards. The lumber
mans ak resounds III every part CT
the state and many d grand old sugar
orchard has been wiped from the face
OF the earth forever TO furnish floor
ing and chair stock. For this pur-
pose it is worth about the same as
Tor WOou.
Why, ask again, do people throw
away one of VermOnts greatest bless
lngs and attractions My answer is
the average VermOnter has become
discouraged. He has worked hard,
shuveled roads IN the snow, gathered
sap on snowshoes, YOKE aud pals,
wallONed his team TO their elues in
snow, wallowed himself ali day from
tree to tree, zone chores alter Ozark
and returned to the sugar place ana
boiled sap all uIght. This is con-
tinued till the snU" is gone and the
warm weather comes aud alter all his
hard work he finds that his suga 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, 80 long az hundreds
OF tons more imitation maple sugar
is made in the large cities than gen.
uine 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 quart
ers the year round in Chicago.
The possibilities of the maple sugar
industry IN Vermont are great be-
cause the product will always be
small and the market large. There
is no honest competition that can
lower the price. All the maple sugar
made in a season would not give one
half the families ia the United States
even little "sugaring eff"
Vermont farmers save your NAPLES.
They will yet prove treasure. Some
day maple sugar makers may get to-
gether and form a trust. Some day
Congress may investigate. Some day
maple sugarmakers may do some
thing for themselves by way of adver.
tising their product, and enlightenlDg
benlghted world on the subject OF
maple sugar. Sometime the maple
sugar Industry will revive with maple
sugar at Is cents a pound. Then will
the sugar season again become the
happipst OF he wear.