The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-03-18
MAPLE SUGAR HINTS.
Government Bulletin Tells How to Tap
Trees and Perfect Product.

What New Highlander who had a taste
OF rural life during his youth has never
been seized with the desire to create some |
maple sugar or some maple syrup for him
self?
Certainly there IS many a one who, in |
desire to emulate the heroes OF the back |
woods or with a thought OF picking up a |
little spare cash, has diligently mtched |
his tin can to some ikeIy-lOOSIng maple !
/ tree with the expectation that the follow |
/ ing morning would find 1t filed with +.
ready made syrup.
| 1t is Of such things that one is reminded
! when one studies the new pamphlet of
! The Production of Maple Syrup and
/ Sugar" by \. Hugh Bryan, chief of the
sugar laboratory Of the bureau OF chem
istry. and William f. Hubbard. forest
/ assistant.
This interesting little booklet contains
not only many statistical and adminlstra
tive facts Of significance. but also some
. hints as to why those attempts at making
/ maple sugar years ago proved unsuccess-
ful.
First of all it appears that the sap from
maple trees changes color and texture
from time to time. and at certain stages
1t Is unfit for use IN the manufacture OF
syrup or sugar. This Is particularly true
of buddy" sap. that which commences to
flow about the time the buds come out on
the trees. This sap ALWAYS has a green or
yeIowish look and never makes good
syrup.
Other conditions Of sap" continues the
writer, ARE known as strlngy sap. green
sap. red sap, and milky sap. In the first
the sap Is ropy or strlngy and generally
milky IN color. the second desgnates one
with grecnish 10 greenish-brown color.
the third shows Il reddish sediment, and
the last has a peculiar milky appearance.
None of these saps produce a good syrup
Although they spoken of as sour
saps. III reality they are not sour IN the
strict sense of the word. as the acidIty Is
seldom much above the normal acidlty OF
the sap, but they are simply changed by
the heterogeneous. 1t is claimed by Edison
that when holes are running this peculiar
sap. if the maker will rebore the tree
some distance from the old hole and
put in new sterile or clean spOuts. normal
} prolonged to some extent by tins proce.
dure, but tapping more than the second
, time IN one season Is not to be recon-
mended.
AT the beginning of the season the
sap IS wateT-white, clear and transparent
, and has a sweet taste, but as the season
, . advances the color and physical appear
: ance change. 1t usually becomes cloudy
| and yelowish and gets a peculiar odor
( The composition of the sap varies greatly
depending upon the season and the tree.
. Another surprising fact is that the flow
Of sap is affected considerably by weather
T conditions and often takes place IN runs
lasting over a given period. In this con
l. nection Mr.. Bryan says:
ut runs only when the atmospheric
> conditions are favorable. As a rule, the
i run is stronger during the day than a
night and quite often stronger in the
q middle of the day than in the morning
: or evening. As the changes of weather oc
cur the sap stops, to start again when thu
q right conditions are present, so there mal
e be a run of sap for day or two and ;
lapse of a few days before another. Dur
ing u season there may be as few as tw,
{ or three runs. or as many as IL or L
t Freezing weather will stop the run, a
I will excessive wind too bright sun or
A warm snap
The article distinctly states that 'th
5 sap should be collected each day an,
s should not be allowed to accumulate,
O but there is little fear that this rule ha
= never been lived up to by every earnes
- youngster.
If concentration of the syrup into sugar.
is evident that experience counts NOR
toward success than any other element
y Certainly experience alone can tell on
9 Just when is the proper time to ceas
2 boiling the syrup, and the treatment c
the liquor during boiling Is made simpl
by acquaintance with the process.
I'm this concentration, writes Nj
ne Bryan. ''there is q great tendency for tn
"A boiling product to froth or foam.
small piece of butter or lard or som
. sweet oil or piece of fat meat, as bacO
IT, or pork, is used to allay this foaming, bu
great care should be used in the selectio