The Republican., 1914-03-12

MAPLE SUGAR SEASON AT HAND.
An ImpOrtan: Industry Of Garrett
County, that Will Soon Be in
Full Blast.

Nd, and Somerset, Pa. is the manu-
facture of maple sugar, and the sea-
| son for its manufacture will soon be in
full blast. There is no regular time for
the season to open. as it all depends on
the weather, However, as a general
thing, most of the maple sugar and
syrup is made during the month of
February and March.
Some years the month of January is
a good month for the manufacture of
maple sweets, but generally the ground
| during that month IS too solidly frozen
and the ..- toG coid. THIS year
the weather was quite favorable for
that industry during a portion Of Janu-
ary, and some Of the farmers in the
vicinity of Grantsville and Salisbury
made some very high grade syrup dur
ing that month.
The sugar and syrup made early in
the season is Of the finest quality and
always brings the highest prices.
However, a very high grade product is
usually turned out all through February
when the weather is favorable and there
isn't too much rain. When much rain
water gets into the sap pals, the
flavor of the sugar and syrup is some
what impaired and the color darkened
The same defects are encountered when
the sap begins to rise in the trees and
the buds begin to swell. When the
latter takes place, the season for su-
gar making comes speedily to a close.
Some years the sugar season ex-
tends well into April, but that only
happens when the rising of the sap
and the swelling of the buds is held
back by cold, freezing weather The
three essentials for good runs of sugar
water are plenty of moisture in the
ground. frosty or freezing weather at
night and warm, sunshlny days, Some
times heavy runs take place when wet.
heavy snow is falling. In fact such
SHOWS are known among sugar-makers
as sugar SHOWS" but sugar-water
never runs when the ground is frozen
and the air freezing cold at the same
time.
When sugar-making is in full swing,
the camps are often the scene of merry
parties who call to indulge in the pleas
ure of fill of taffy, or "spotza' as 1t
is usually termed by the farmers Who
manufacture maple sweets. No other
confection ranks with maple tatfy or
"spotZa" for delicious flavor ard the
way to get it in its best form is to visit
a sugar camp on stirring Off days
and dip a quantity of the sweet stuff,
when it is boiled to the proper consis-
tency, into a vessel of cold water When
it is cooled by the water, you have a
tough, irregular mass of delicious
stuff that will cling to your memory aII
through life after you have tasted it
and filled up herewith. Men may
come and men may 90, but the craving
for maple taffy made as we have de
scribed, goes on forever with all who
haye had the pleasure of eating it.
Those who have frequented sugar
camps IN their youthful days, no mat
ter to what part of the earth they may
roam, will each year, to the end Of
their lives, during the maple sugar
season have a yearning to be among
the sugar makers once more and par
ticipate in the merry gathering at the
camps and hear the furnace roar.
The thoughts of it have brought
Forth from Mahlon P Lichty, of North
Dakota, who formerly resided in both
Garrett county, Md, and Somerset
county. Pa, the following:
Well, noticed all fall and winter so
far you people down east" had your
fun sleigh-riding during the past month
and now see you have opened UP your
sugar camps again so early in the sea
son, and that always appeals to my
muse and inspires me to write spring
poetry, or rather doggerel, for I don't
lay any claim to being natural born
poet. much less decent verse maker.
But
Methinks see the sugar camps
A steaming off afar,
And smell the sweetly scented air,
Like fragrance from jar.
And down along the old Pine Run,
Or up the old Tub Mill,
| imagine there is fun,
BY merry youngsters still.
For in my mem'ry | still hold,
The good old days of yore,
And now as | am growing old,
| long for them once more.
The Beachys, Folks and Livengoods,
The Millers, Mausts and Kelms,
Made plenty of sweet goods,
Oh, those were glorious times!
And all along the lanes and pixies.
And in the dales and dingles,
The PecIs, the Lichtys. SayIors, Fixes,
The Lowrys, Boyds and Engles--
But space forblds me naming more,
All versed in this sweet art.
Methinks | hear the furnace roar
1t wakes me with start.
Nj. P. LIGHTLY.
Zion, N. D., Feb. 4, 1914
-F'rostburg Spirit.
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