Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1907-04-26
BRATTLEBORO LOCAL NEWS
BEST SEASON IN YEARS.
Sugar Makers Have Harvested Unusually
Large Amount Of Maple Products and
Prices Are Hiuh.

Sugar Makers Have harvested Unusually
LARGE Amount Of Maple Products and
Prices Are High
The maple sugar season has at last
closed after the longest and the biggest
run in years. Some of the old sugar
makers say that there has been nothing
like it in 30 years, but others believe that
in 1898 as much sugar was made as this
season. An estimate of the value of the
sugar produced in Vermont this season
places it at $3,50O0OO. 1t has also been
estimated by those who know that at
least 5,OOOOO trees have been tapped this
year.
At any rate the sugar makers in this
locality have had all they could attend
to for about a month. They have worked
early and late in order to make the most
of the unusual weather conditions. Sugar
making is no light work and most of the
makers were all ready to stop last week
from exhaustion. Other early spring
farm work has been neglected and sugar
has taken all of the time and the atten-
ton. Many of the sugar makers have
been so busy that they have not had even
time to bring their product into market
Toward the close of the season last
week many of the producers were forced
TO stop making sugar and syrup because
they had nothing to put the product IN
The supply of syrup cans ran out early in
sible to get any. Producers have been
securing the country for old cans and
putting the syrup into anything tenn
porarily. Much of the sugar has been
packed in large boxes as the small boxes
in which it is regularly shipped could not
be produced fast enough.
The quality of the sugar has been much
better than was expected. The first run
of sap was of unusually good quality, but
it was thought that after the week of
warm weather the quality would be poor
Local dealers say that although the later
sugar is not as good as the early 1t is
much better than usual under such con-
ditions. There seems to be but little su-
gar of a decidedly poor quality in the
market and there is plenty of what is
called fancy sugar for the high class
trade.
The price of sugar and syrup has re-
manned high in spite of the large crop.
The reason for this is probably to be
found in the pure food law which makes
the demand for maple sugar much greater
this year. Heretofore dealers outside of
the state have bought 100 pounds of pure
maple sugar and have remade it into at
least 500 pounds of what people outside
of Vermont have eaten for pure maple
sugar. Now the same dealers are buy
ing much larger amount in order to
supply their trade
For the first time the big dealers have
sent men into Vermont to buy sugar and
syrup direct from the producers. These
agents have offered rs cents a gallon for
syrup in any kind of a receptacle and for
the entire output of whatever grade. AL
though the local dealers have been ready
to pay more than this for the best quail
ty the producers realize that there is
more money in selling their entire crop
at that price and when they can ship it
in barrels than in selling it locally. 1t is
probable that in an average or short
year the price of maple sugar and syrup
will go up considerably as under the pure
food law the demand for the pure article
will be much greater than the supply.
Local dealers have been selling syrup
at from SIPS to $140 a gallon and they re-
ceived as high as $3.50 for some of the
very finest quality from the first run of
sap. Sugar has retailed at from 20 to q
cents a pound i'm cakes and pail sugar has
retailed at about Is cents a pound. None
of the local dealers have any considerable
amount of sugar or syrup on hand as
they have been afraid of getting caught
by a slump in prices. Some of them
believe that there is a large quantity of
sugar being held back by the makers
which will be put on the market a little
later and produce a great reduction in
price.