The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-02-24
CAUSES AND REMEDIES
OF POOR MAPLE SUGAR
Considered by Prof. H. A. Edison at the
Farmers Week Observance in Bur-
Iington Yesterday

l. Burlington, Feb. 24-The last day o.
farmers week at the state universit,
also signalized the close of the seven
teenth session of the winter short course
These began the day after Christmas ant
have been in session nine weeks. Some.
thing over forty young men have been il
attendance, and manifested much inter.
est. Several are going into COW test
association work, one or two will doubt.
less enter forest service employ, and
some viii engage in creamery or dairy
| farm operations.
| In long and short courses at the state
university and in the schools at Lyndon
and Randolph there are in round num-
bers two hundred and twenty-five young
Nermonters being taught agriculture this
winter; the attendance in the three
farmers weeks at the university and the
two schools has been in excess of seven
hundred; and how many will the better
farming special meet if it runs Last
spring, over seven thousand The great.
er Vermont is coming agriculturaliy, as
wen as otherwise.
One interesting discussion was by Prof.
II. A. Edison of the United States de-
presence of extraneous material in the
Remedies of Poor Maple Products" Prof.
Edison said:
Poor maple products result from the
present Of eXtraneons material in the
sap or from physiological changes occur
ring in the tree The physiological
changes, which produce d true buddy fa-
vor, never occur late ia the season in
Vermont and in some years not until
after its close. The color OF the syrup
IS not affected by these changes in the
sap, but in exceptional seasons the flavor
may be so damaged as TO render the prod
uct almost worthless, even though il
be of first grade in color This buddy
flavor may be expected in the late runs
of season that has been long con
tinued and interrupted by periods Of
warm weather which have stimulated
the tree into vegetatiye activity. There
is no way TO remedy this defect. IL
should be noted, however, that much So
called buddy syrup is, in reality. not
buddy, but its poor quality is due TO
other preventative causes.
"Extraneous materfsl may be classified
under two heads. Inert or dead matter
and organic or living Inert material.
such as dirt, caramel bark, rain water,
colored by soluble material from the tree,
etc, naturally darken the syrup and in
jure its flavor. The remedy IL obvious,
since covered buckets. metal containers,
bright pans and. in general, scrupulous
cleanliness, will remoye these causes Of
trouble
The living material present in sap
consists chiefly OF yeasts and bacteria,
and less frequently molds The bacteria
are the more numerous and the most
important; though yeasts sometimes
cause serious trouble. These organisms
are the canses Of the souriig Of sap and
are responsible for. most Of the inferior
maple products put upon the market.
Specific types of organisms produce spe
eitic injuries, but, as rule. in practice
they are present in mixed cultures, and |
the of color and i'll aayors are the re-
suits of the combined activities of many
species. Fortunately measures suggested |
for the elimination of inert material arr
effective against these organisms Clean !
utensils, preferably Of metal. careful |
and the shortest possible peri
ID Of storage yield the best results"