Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-02-20
BOX ELDERS
CAN SUPPLY
STATE SUGAR
North Dakota Should be
Self Supporting, Says
DR.. Gilmore.

Birn1arck, n. D., Feb. 20.-Dr. NJ.
r.. Gilmore. curator OF the North Da-
kota historical society. recommends
that North Dakota take care Of it's
owh sugar need. He says:
This is a. time in the worlds his
tory when it is being brought to the
attention Of all of us how excellent a
thing is self-dependence. North Da-
kota does not fully realize vet her
own native fuel in the ex-
tensivc Ignite beds. The people OF
our country generally have given to
thinking too much Of bringing from
distant places whatever we required
IT the com nodities to which VIC have
been accustomed. and have not given
thought to the development OF native
resources of our own country. Com
ing from the eastern hemisphere we
have required to have the food COM
modities especially. to which our peo-
toned. and have not explored the
native possibilities in that time. Now
when the usual facilities ofAranspo,-
tation are interrupted we experience
some distress because of u ignor-
ance and acknowledgements of our ma
tive resources. Taste for various ar
ticles Of food. produced in various
parts of he earth among different
races and nationalitics is largely IL
matter of custom and cultivation. So
to most of our population in this
country, America. the home of corn.
that excellent food is not fully APP
preciated. and most people do not
have the relish. for it. which custom
would have produced.
And there are other native food
products which are excellent and
with which our people are not only
unfamiliar. but witt, which they are
totally unacquainted. These products
ought to be sought out from the
people who have knowledge of them
that is. from the people OF the native
race. These are treasures which we
are allowing to be lost Probably
most people V think of the fac
that the tribes resident here before
ns found the practical equivalents o
all the provisions which the inhab.
itants of other continents had.
I'm tho matter Of sugar the source
for all the eastern part of this con
tincnt was the hard maple. The
native tribes in all the range of thu
maple busted themselves each spring
time in the task of m%anufactu.in:
whites came to this continent the,
learned the process from the Indians
Thus maple sugar was one of Amer
ira's gifts to the world. Farther Yves
where the hard maple did not abount
the tribes utilized the sap of the sof
maple and that OF the boxelder
This is one Of the facts learned in IN,
quest Of native economic uses O
plants. Here in the region Of Nortl
Dakota the sole source of sugar wa
the boxelder. since neither the har,
nor soft maple is found here. suk
gest that people who own groves 0
%boxelder trees large enough for tn
purpose should tap them this sprin;
and help out in the sugar situation
This would be a real patriotic serv
ice in adding to that useful conn,od
ity from a source at present not util
lied.
THE tribes have never wholly lef
off the production of sugar from box
elder trees in this region. Last yea
I found q. grove of boxelders on tn
Cannonball river. all of which o
suitable size. showed scare from tap
ping in the previous year. And
was informed by some Of the peopl
Of that tribe. the Teton-Dakota. tina
it was true they had been maxim
sugar there. | heard also that tn
Chippewas of the Turtle Mountain
still make some sugar"