Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-03-09
RAISE SUGAR NAPLES.
A Philadelphia Man Suggests This u
Of vermont's waste Lands.

Of vefmont's Waste Lands.
?hc salvation of Vermont It is gen
orally concede lies in the redemption of
her abandoned farms either by wealthy
cities for summer residences or through
Some other process. A novel suggestion
which may contain some valuable hints
for farmers Of the state Is that Of j. W.
tngham Of Pennsylvania. correspondent
of the American Cultivator Of Boston.
Hs says:
Much has been written about the
aba ndoned farms OF New England. and
mary of us are DESTROYS Of giving adj
vice how u reclaim them. l think 1t
highly probably that the geound was
always poor. ard that they never ought
10 have been cleared, that many Of them
are on hill sides SO steep that II Is dim
cult to plow ard cultivate. and when
plowed liable to wash and gully.
know Of many hill sides in Pennsylvania
that never ought 10 have been cleared.
I have owned some my self.
ut ought to be folly to think Of enrich-
ing these abandoned farms ny raising
clover and cow-peas. 1t would require
IA heavy coating Of manure to make these
crops grow. I know Of no way said
crushed farm. can he restored from its
own resources Fertilizers must be
brought to them from the outside. I
would suggest tina, instead of letting
them grow up promicucusly with brush
and ordinary forest trees. that they be
planted thickly with sugar naples. These
grow quickly, are lorg.lived. even when
tapped every year for suear-r,aking and
| Al 10, e. P,,r, MI
ceiling the inside of passenger cars.
"a farm. thickly covered with maple
trees. would always he valuable. be-
cause maple sugar and syrup. owing to
their peculiar delicious flavor. will al
ways he in good demand Mt an excel
irnt price. There would be TO outlay
FOR fertilizers. fences agricultural i'm
| elements or seeds. know Of a man who
| when much past middle age. planted
a rocky field and ravine with maple
trees and lived to enjoy the truit of his
labors. The sugar camps in Ohio arc
toinetiines considered the rrsst valu-
able part of the farms. There Is no doubt
that naples. like other trees whether Of
the forest or fruit-bearng species) will
n'akL n more rapid growth In good soil
than in a poor one. but IL is equally
certain that in their native home they
will grow in poor soil. There Is no guess
work about this. New England is the
,ativc habitat of the sugar maple The
encyclopedia Britannica says: 1T is the
abundant in the New England states and
Canada The Library of Universal
knowledge says. 1T abounds in the
northern part of the United States and
in the British possessions
"Acccrrling 10 the census OF 1881, FIVE
New England States produced lo.vo9.24
pounds OF maple sugar. and l2s.O9l gall
Ions of maple nOlasscs The single State
Of Vermont produced ll.261.077 pounds
Of maple sugar, and 12S0.1 gallons Of
maple molassns. According TO the CEN
sus of 1870, Vermont had increased her
production of maple moasses over q
per cent. This large production Of sweet
ness was obtained from trees that srew
of their own accord without planting.
" i'll venture to say there is not II val.
ley or mountain side n New England
where there is sufficient loose earth It
, anchor ther,. on which small NAPLES
with proper care in setting, and the
; necessary attention afterwards. could no,
he made to grow to a fair size.
Nv hen once a maple orchard had beer
planted and the trees had obtained n fan
start, there would be no more trouble
l or expense, and when large enough &c
he tapped. sugar could be made from
$ their sap year after year. without an!
: rerceptble damage to the trees. TC
make sugar from, cane. sorghum or beets
there must Le the same never-endine
|; hor every year to mature the land
: a maple orchard there Is nothing to bf
ulant cultivate and harvest the crop
extract the juice and evaoorate it. Will
"A maple orchard there il nothing to bt
lone Int tap the trees. gather tho saI
and boil it down tn sugar. The WORK
cones at a leisure time in the spring
when farm work is not pressing art
labor is plentiful and cheaper than later
in the season, when beats and sorghum
are to be planted and cultivated. 1t may
lie that in trying &c supply our country
with sugar from cane sorghum and
D btets we have been working III thu
l wrong direction. There is cheap lane
enough in the northern and eastern
:, States which. ii planted witt. naples
5 would produce more sugar and syrul
than could he consumed in this coun
try and at Il low price A single tre'
ytflds from two 70 six pounds, accord
p ing n the size Of tine tree ard the IA
; vor a blent IS of tho easor.''