The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1907-03-07

At
clay ornamented the rear. This flue
was made TO draw by increasing the
height as required. This was a great
Improvement over the outdoor meth
cd of the first corners.
improvements introduced.
"Then pans with sheet iron bot
toms and wooden sides We're adopt
ed in place of kettles, and proved a
great deal better. My father had
three cast iron pans made at Virgins
e. Reeves foundry in Hagerstown,
which were used for many years.
am using the pans for various pur-
poses about the farm now.
about 1898 evaporators were in
troduced, and these seem to have
been about the first scientific appli-
ances ever furnished for maple sugar
makers. Improvement followed i'm
provement very fast after the first
introduction until today a vefitable
machine is used in making the per-
feet syrup which can be found in any
first class camp.
Purpose of Evaporators.
These evaporators serve to equal
ize the quality of the output so that
maple syrup made in them is about
uniform in quality and density There
is no dipping of sap nowadays as
was necessary in the old times. GRAY
ity and siphons serve to transfer the
sap from one tank or reservoir into
another, and automatic action and
control of the flow is provided at all
stages of the process.
'In my camp we have four or five
hundred trees and this evaporation
will reduce the sap from them with
out running at night. The trees are
tapped now with a three-eiShths
inch auger and the spiles used are OF
heavy tin The end which IS driven
into the tree is entirely closed except
a fine hole in the lower part through
which the sap finds its way to the
bucket The purpose of this Is to ex-
clude the air from the inner wood OF
the tree, as the presence of air in
contact with the damp wood causes
the latter to rot very fast. Trees may
now be tapped from year to year
without injury. This is in great con-
trast to a favorite method of the ear
" days This custom was to bore a
large hole into the tree and then a
woodsman skillful with the ak would
cut notch in the tree leading up
ward from the hole on both sides.
This caused a great flow OF sap,
which actually poured from the heavy
spile inserted into the auger mole
The life of the tree was not regarded
by those who followed that way.
How Work Is Done.
1--WE haul the sap from our trees in
large tank which holds a dozen bar
rels. The sap flows from this tank
by gravity into supply tank at the
camp. From this supply tank the
sap flows by the same means into the
first pan of the evaporator. The flow
is controlled by a wooden flat, and
when a sufficient amount has run
into the pan the float rises and shuts
off the flow The sap is heated in the
first pan. \ siphon connects this
pan with the next, and when the IL
uui6 in the latter becomes low
enough to permit the siphon TO work,
it instantly starts to flow and con-
tinues until the contents of the Sec
ond pan rise to the proper level.
There is a system of siphons running
from one end of the evaporation TO the
other. At the last compartment, or
division of the evaporation, the finish
ed product IS turned out. There IS
no guess work about this, for We have
tester which enables us TO know
/ the exact moment when the syrup is
right for taking off. Maple syrup
must weigh eleven pounds per gal
/ Ion. and our tester shows just when it
has reached that stage. The finished
| syrup is run through new flannel
cloths and this process removes what
ever slight impurity may be found in
the syrup.
Little Demand for Sugar.
"All the sap is now made into syr-
up. as there is very little demand for
maple sugar. We turn out syrup that
is as clear as the purest honey.
Il have always opened my camp
the last week in February and have
/ seldom seen the season begin earlier
than that time. We are opening the
camp today and are prepared to han.
die the entire amount of sap pro-
duced if it all should come in a week.
Il have seen the season begin ON