The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1907-11-07
LITTLE MAPLE
SUGAR IS SOLO.
limitations and Authorizations However
Can be Had in Abundance.

y OAAA3 AASNAA - AetAAND - NsNAN ~ III ~
in the spring. But when it comes
to snappy morning in autumn it
is hot cakes and maple syrup that
makes his eyes shine. Love isn't
in the same class then with waff1es
for breakfast.
This being the case, one is likely
to think long, sad thoughts after
perusing the latest statistics on
the subject of maple sugar. What
the pure food law will do to the
maple sugar myths it is hard to
tell, but the investigation carried
on by the government 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 method,
but their own manner of sugaIing
off remained pretty crude.
About 1850 the maple sugar
business began to boom. Methods
were improved. That made the
product better, that sent up the
demand, and by 1860 sap, demand,
quality and price were all climb
ing.
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 1880. The ex-
PLANTATION is to be had in two
words; The mixers.
Since 1850 the cost of producing
cane sugar has gone down to
level compared with which the
most of making maple sugar seems
toplofty. During the same period
glucose has made its bow and got
into all kinds of sweet society.
The wholesale dealer takes the
common cane sugar or glucose,
puts into it from a sixth to a tenth
as much real maple sugar and
we eat it on our cakes and waffies.
According to the lowest estimate,
seven-eighths of the product sold
today is only partly maple sugar
or is made entirely of other ma
terials.
A maple flavor is said to be
given to some of these imitation
syrups by mixing with them an
extract of hickory bark. An In
diana man even took out a patent
on the use of such an extruct in
making maple syrup.
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 IS cents a pound for sugar
and SI.25 gallon for syrup in
1882 to about 10 cents a pound for
sugar and 90 cents a gallon for
syrup at the present time.
The only way in which one can
be reasonably sure of getting the
pure product is to deal directly
with trustworthy country pro-
ducer. There are some of that
kind. They can't afford to sell
their product at the market rates
for the cane-sugar-g glucose hickory
bark article, but they have built
up market of their own.
There is made in this country
about II, 900, 900 pounds of maple
sugar annually but a portion of
this is sold in a coarse form to the
mixers. Over 1000, 900 gallons
of real syrup is manufactured an
nually.
Vermont used to lead in this
production. Then New York took
first place Now the order runs
Ohio, New York, Vermont, Pen
nsylvania, Indiana, Michigan aud
on down the list of 81 States send
ing in reports.
All naples have sweet sap. but
only few of the native species