Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-03-16
The Production of rlaple Sugar

studying the maple sugar industry
with the view of securing II larger
use of the maple forests. Since
1850 the area of maple sugar farm
ing has greatly changed and shrunk
In early days maple sugar WA. COM
monty made, even in many parts of
the south, because cane sugar was
virtually unobtainable. No longer
is there even limited production
in South Carolina. Georgia, Alaba-
ma. Mississippi, Louisiana and Ar
k ,nsas. This is because cane sug-
ar can now be bought everywhere
at a low price, and is preferred to
maple sugar for sweetenlng. In
Indiana, Michigan and Illinois the
maple trees have been extensively
cut for lumber, thus reducing the
opportunity for tree tapping. In
these states also the markets are
glutted with i'm itations, which re.
move the incentive to extending
the industry. In other states, as
in western Maryland, West Virgin
ia, Ohio, New York and in New
England the maple sugar indus.
try has held its own or Leen i'll
creased.
The best sap flow is secured in
cooler northern states. vet good re-
suits can be expected IN most OF
PENNSYLVANIA and West Virginia,
western Maryland, all of lndi-
ana and Kentucky, easter Tennps-
see, and western North Carolina.
At present the largest producers OF
maple sugar products are Ohio.
Vermont and New York. The
sugar and black maple yield the
most and best sap, although some
other species of maple may be
worked to advantage when neither
of these is available.
The maple is hardy and vigor-
ons tree and readily reproduces it.
self, so there need be no fear of
failure of sap supply. For sap
production the all important con-
sideratiop is for the tree to have a
full and heavy crown. Yet it
should also grow under forest con-
ditions which maintain II ground
cover of litter and humuS.
AS a result of the study recently
made. definite directions for The
management AMI improvement OF
existing groves, and for the estab-
lishment of new ones in suitable
localities ana under different con-
have been prepared and
will soon be published. Many
valuable data regarding the profit
IN making maple sugar were also
coll cited. From these it appears
that u farmer can easilv clear O !
good sum per acre from a sugar
grove. The expenses in this esti-
mate are placed at maximum: all
the labor and hauling are charged
in at market rates, though as a
matter of fact the sugar season
falls at time when the farmer has
little other employment for him
self or his horses. in actual prac-
lice. for the farmer who can do the
most of his own work the profit
should he considerably larger. And
The land thus utilized will yield
title or nothing under any other
use.
The old method of collecting the
sap by making diagonal cut in
The tree Was abandoned long ago
because it injured the tree so that
t could he worked for but few
years. The approved practice now
S to bore Il hole one inch deep and
ree.eighths of an inch in diane
.er into the sunny side of trees ov-
IF II inches in diameter, and to
make but one hole in each tree. ex-
cent possibly where the trees are
large and productive.
Vast improve ments have also been
made in appliances for handling
;he sap and boiling it down to sug-
ar and syrup.
Maple trees now furnish but a
small PER cent of the commercial
maple sugar and syrup. While the
demand for both these commodities
nas constantly increased, the out.
put from maple trees has decreased