Evening star., 1923-02-20
GREAT INDUSTRY
BEING FORGOTTEN
Maple Syrup and Sugar Out
put Far Below Possible
Production Total.
By j. C. ROYLE.

| BY J. C. ROYLE.
Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, February 20.-Scien-
| tif1c cooperative marketing Is all
| that Is saving one of the earliest and
most representative Of American in
dustries from slipping from beneath
| the producers. The production of
| maple sugar and maple sirup Eas
! been almost as typical of American
| life as the production of tobacco. but
| while other industries have grown
! this year until production limits are
being reached. thousands of pounds OF
maple sugar which might be pro-
| duced will never come on the market
! The maple sugar industry Is in the
period today when production should
| pc at Its height, but the flow from
! the spoon to the snow bank which
used to signify the fact that the
! transition from sap to sirup had beer
| completed, has dwindled to a me-e
trlckie as compared with early days
| Even the spurt. which the market
for raw and refined sugar has taken
within the last ten days, has not
sufficed to speed up the maple sugar
| market The carry-over of the pro
! duction from New York state and
! Vermont is far from heavy, but the
| commodity which was once the uni
versal sweetener from Maine to Flor
da now has limited market.
Unfamiliar to New Consumers.
I The producers of New York and ver-
| mont. Which supply nearly one-half OF
the total output of the country, declared
today that the new generation had beer
| Weened away from the universal Sweer
meat which formed a staple of diet for
| the early pioneers. Attempts to con
vince them were in vain they said be
| cause they believed that pure maple
sirup was thin and watery and prob
ably adulterated, as compared with care
and corn sirups. Although it requires
forty gallons Of sap to produce one ga
! Ion or sirup the real product is not
thick.
Production Still Unstrained.
| The demand for maple sugar and
sirup declined steadily from 1860 to
! 1917, when the remarkable shortage of
rehabilitation Of maple sugar and sirup
as common sweetener. Since the armis-
tice the product has again declined in
I popularity but it's possibilities are still
states. There are FIVE varieties of
sugar naples, although only two. the
rock maple and the black maple, produce
the very highest quality of sap.
1t is useless to tap a tree less than
thirty years old and full results are un-
obtainable from a tree less than forty
Yet the tapping does not injure the
tree and there are examples in this
state which have been tapped for 1856
| years without injury.
| No sugar maple grows south o.
| Kentucky, and the best sirup is pro
duced IN the higher attitudes in
soil containing good percentage Of
produce over 100000 pounds O.
sugar, over one-third of the total
production of the United States, but
1t might produce a far, create"
ing methods which insure profits t.
J producers are due to the Maple Pro
ducers Cooperative Association, with
| headquarters at Syracuse, and the
Vermont association, by Leon L. G
| Mulholland.
The tremendous vogue which maple
! drinks have attained at soda foun-
tains has not helped the industry, as
| the larger part of the maple sirup
served over soda fountains Is syn
! thetic.
| Cold Snap Checks Price Fall.
| The severe slump in prices which
| had attended shipments Of southern
| fruit and vegetables recently has been
checked for the time being by the
; cold weather, but as 1t has become
| evident that severe damage to pro
| ducing sections in the early bearing
! belts has not resulted, market experts
today predicted that strawberries and
! other early proc lets would fail to
! maintain top prices in northern mar
/ kets.
The potato growers and apple
| growers have little to look forward
to as result Of late marketing OF
1922, crops. Better luck next year
| is the most hopeful remark that mar
! ket experts extend to them today
i Gamers. however, are looking for
| ward to bright season in spite of
advances in tin and tin plate for the
n n ~ 10 e y; ;1k.
ing like lead while the wholesale and
| retail grocers felt out their Gus
| toners has been well cleared from
| the warehouses.
Tremendous Steel Demand.
| PITTSBURGH, February 20 (Spe-
Icial).-Demand for steel is SO exten-
sive that makers already are turning
their attention to orders for the third
lquarter. Many mills are practically
Isold up for second quarter production!
land premiums for Immediate delivery
are being offered The tendency or
!steel prices is still upward and MAX
ers are concentrating on an effort to
tpreVent a runaway market in some
lines. Clerks are working nights TO
book the orders coming in.
Market for Oils Firm.
HOUSTON. February 90 (SpeciaD.-
coastal crude oil has brought a firm
,tone into the lubricating oils market
lone ref1ner has just closed a contract
with eastern firms at advances Of half
Ito f1ve-eighthS cents gallon. Gas
oil is up half cent and some refiners
are sold up to midsummer. Fuel oil
there has advanced 20 cents a barrel
Ito S1.60 and $1.75.
Car Loadings Soar.
ST. PAUL, February 20 (SpeciaD.-
The storm of last week has moi
lnnrfhwngf Wholesalers and
lfacturers are doing far more business
THAN a year age and retail trade IL
the Twin Cities is active. Car load
,ings on the northwestern railroads
Iare running from Is to 20 per cent
iheavier than in the corresponding
period of 1922.
Quaker City Building Plans.
PHILADELPHIA, February 90 (Spe
ciaD.-It is now estimated that the
building construction program in this
city this year will exceed $135, 100000
OF this sum about $60,o0o.0oo will 60
office buildings s8,000.oo0 into public
4 schools and $4,000, 900 into factories
and S5,000.o00 into apartments. There
Is not a liberal supply OF any building
materials in sight and indications are
that prices will increase rather than
decrease.
Rail Equipment Improved.
| ST.IOUIS, February 20 (SpeciaD -
RAILROADS in this section report
steady increase in effective motor
power, chiefly as a result .t. o, repailo a
new equipment purchases. The ton
image moving capacity of the carrier
will be considerably greater In ths
next thirty to sixty days than at an!
time in a year. Still equipment is no.
expected to meet the demands of
commerce.
New 5000 600 Concern.