The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1907-11-07
REAL 4: | MAPLE SYRUP
Very Little of It is Afloat
These Days. ~: T. ..
PRODUCT ON MARKET

Everybody knows where the young
mans fancy is said to turn in the
|spring. But, when 1t comes to a
snappy morning in rautumn$it is hot
cakes and maple syrup that make his
eyes shine. .. -. -,
> This being the case one is likely to
think long, sad thoughts after per-
Fusing the latest statistics on the sub
|Ject Of maple sugar. What the pure
food law will do to the maple sugar
myths 1T Is hard to tell, but the in
vestigation has almost wiped maple
|sugar off the food map. -. ....
We have the Indians" to thank for
the art Of making the real maple
article, They used to do it in their
own happy fashion, boiling down the
|sap by dropping relays Of hot stones
into it. The early settlers improved
on this, but their own methods re-
madped- pretty crnde. -. =
About 1850 the maple sugar bust
ness began to boom. Methods were
improved That made the product
better, that sent up the demand, and
by 1850 sap. demand, quality and
fprice were all climbing.
THE demand has been mounting
ever since, but strangely enough, in
the face Of this perpetual cry for
maple syrup, there isn't much more
than half as much made now as there
was in 1850. The explain alton is to
be had in two words-the mixers.
Since 1850 the cost of producing
cane sugar has gone down to a level
compared with which the cost Of
making maple sugar seems toplofty.
During the same period glucose has
made it's bow and got into all kinds
Of sweet society. q.
The Wholesale dealer takes the
common cane sugar or glucose, puts
into. it from a sixth to tenth as
| much real maple sugar and--we eat
1T on our cakes and wafies. Accord
ing to the lowest estimate, seven
Fights Of the product sold today is
only partly maple sugar or is made
entirely Of other materials.
"A maple flavor is said to be given
to some Of these imitation syrups by
DRY bark. An Indian man even took
out a patent on the used Of such an
| extract. -
In spite of the fact that the de-
mand has increased enormously
while the supply has remained about
the same the price Of maple sugar
and Of the syrup has fallen from IL
cents pound for sugar and $1.25
gallon for syrup In 1882 to about
10 cents a pound for sugar and 90
cents gallon FOR syrup at the pres
ent time -.
| The only way in which one can be
reasonably sure Of getting the pure
lproduct is to deal directly with a.
Trustworthy country producer. There
are some Of that kind. They can't
afford to sell their product at the
market rates for the cane sugar
| glucose hickory bark, but they have
lbuilt up market of their own.
| There is made in this country
about 100000 pounds of maple
sugar annually, but q part Of this is
sold in a coarse form to the mixers.
More than 100000 gallons of real
Isyrup is manufactured annually.
| Vermont used to lead in this pro-
duction. Then New York took first
place. Now the order runs Ohio,
New York, Vermont, Pennsylvania
Indiana, Michigan and on down the
list Of Fl states sending in reports.
| ALI naples have O. sweet sap. but
only few Of the native species fur
n1sh sugar in paying qualities. The
first place is held by the sugar maple
and variety of It, the black maple.
1t is a peculiar fact that the variety
4 OF the sugar. maple which grows IN
I the Gulf States does not yield sugar,