Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1906-10-19
The NJ APPLE Orchard.


The naples have Tor many yeaIs been
looked upon as the hest paying part of
the farm. Ii this was the case twenty |
years ago. it is doully true now for sew
prdl reasons. Modern shallow boiling |
appliances aud methods have greatly |
le,spued The labor aud cost of working |
the camp aud at the same time have
made it possible to produce amber sy-
rups and light colored sugars far Supe-
rior in quality tn the dark syrups and
sugar made 10y our fathers. Prices of
maple products are much higher Than
formerly and the tendency is toward
still higher prices, especially for the
better grades Which are growing IN de
ma"d. The inferior grades of dark tub
sugar which once had to sell in COMPETE
ton with cane sugar now 60 largely to
| the wholesale dealers in the west where
| they are used for mixing aud sold under
the name of maple syrup but would not
he recognized as such in any locality
where the genuine article is known.
The exquisite maple favor is inimitahle
and the skill of the chemist in his efforts
to produce a satisfactory substitute, has
so far been unavailing. 1t is this maple
flavor and this alone that makes our best
maple products command the prices of
our choicest luxuries The maple sugar
maker who does not recognize this fact
and is still using the old style pans with
heaters and evaporators with deep tlues
which are hard to keep clean, and on
which oQly the dark Syrups and sugars
can be produced, is certainly not making
the most of his opportunities. lie is
barely paying his expenses and should
discard his Anticipated outfit and by the
use of modern methods and the shallow
boiling evaporation, with small inter
changeahle pans, should lessen his run
ming expenses, increase his output, better
the quality of his product and command
a better price. BY so doing he can, with
proper care, largely increase the income
from his sugar camp.
The lumhermen have made heavy in.
roads upon our naples along with Other
forest trees and have thereby added
largely to the value of the sugar camps
which remain intact. In many section,
of Vermont there are many dense thick.
cts Of young maple saplings which, with
a little care, for a few years, can be made
profitable. The proper management OF
such young maple groves is well illus
trated and explained on pages II to =:
of Farmers Bulletin No. 252, which car
he had by addressing Il postal card re,
quest for same to the L. 5. Department
of Agriculture at Washington.
We no longer slaughter our NAPLES
with an ak and gouge as was done Il
half century ago, but are we taking all
the care that we should by discartlne
the use of spouts which require rossing
of the bark and which have shoulders
and spurs or anchors, all of which tend
to crush the bark and tear it from the
tree in removing the spout from the
bore? The crushed and torn bark will
rot and the enlarged wound fails to heal
the first season as it should and will il
the right style of spout is used. Elk
anime your trees this month and com
pare results in this matter of healing
with different styles of spouts used las,
Spring. II you have yourself used none
of the improved spouts for which SC
much merit is claimed some of your
neighbors may have them. If so. ex-
anime their trees and compare results
A little care in this line may add years
to the life of your naples and at the
same time add largely to the income
from your camp.-Com.