The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1949-03-10


The Sugar Making Moon shines
on rs sap buckets in maple
grove at Renrock in Noble cOun-
ty on these March nights. All
night long the maple grove is
musical with the rhythmic tinkle
and splash of sap dripping into
covered metal buckets. During
the day haze of steam and wood
smoke from the eVapOratOrS
FLOATS through the trees, and a
stream of thick, sweet maple
syrup trickleS into gallon cans.
The Indians called this season
of the year the Sugar Making
Moon.
Pioneer white settlers secured
their only supply of sweetening
from the maple trees of the prim-
eval forest. They pushed the pith
out of elder or SumaC branches
and drove them into holes bored
IN the sugar maple trees. These
wood SpOuts were called spilcS.
The sap dripped from the Spiles
into sugar troughs, followed out
with an adze from a split lot two
and a half feet long.
The pioneers carried the maple
sap in wood buckets from the
troughS to salt kettles and boiled
it to syrup and maple sugar. They
worked IN the open with no roof
over the kettles. They made poor
grade Of syrup by those crude
methods. But to a man who had
swung an axe all day, that crude
syrup tasted good when he pour
ed it into has muSh and milk or
spread it on his corn bread.
About the only thing modern
maple syrup makers have kept
from the pioneer period is the
name sugar bush 1t is a grove
OF sugar maple trees with a cabin
or building containing an eVap-
orator. Some people use the term
sugar camp instead of sugar bush.
In other ways the modern sv-
rup makers improved methods
Instead Of the old elder or Sumac
spiles, they use metal spouts
They have replaced the poplar
sugar troughs with metal buckets
covered with metal or wood lids
Scientifically designed eVapor-
ator pans take the place of the
old salt kettles. In Vermont and
northern Ohio where the sugar
syrup industry is important, the
workers use Thermometers anC
~
process.
Camp Built in 1916
The only known sugar camr
now operating in this part OF
Ohio is at RenrOCk in Noble coun-
ty, about rs miles from GAINESVILLE
on the farm of Ernest Thorla. His
father, Silas ThOrla, 90, built the
sugar camp in 1916 and operated
it until he moved to GAINESVILLE
last October. On Feb. l3, Sila!
Thorla went back to Renrock tC
assist his son in the boiling OF
this years sap.
Silas Thorla used to set Isl
trees, but only IS trees were
tapped this year. Two kinds OF
tiSSo " iOuuNC SdJ 4Oi IlIdhlllE
maple syrup. They are the black
or rock maple and the sugar
maple.
Thorla bores a hole TIC of ar
inch in diameter to depth of one
and quarter inches. He inserts {
metal spout an inch and a hal.
long with a hook for a buckle
fastened to the spout. After the
sap has run for two weeks, Thorls
bores the hole One-quarter inch
deeper. Trees 10 inches in dia
meter and larger are tapped.
While the son hauls the sap tC
the eVaporatOr on horse -draWr
sled, Silas ThOrla feeds the Wooc
fire under the eVaporator anC
decides when the syrup is of the
right consistency to draw into
cans for sale.
The elder Thorla does not use
thermometers and hydromcters
He uses the judgment acquired
through many years of expert
ence. Born in 1859 in Brookfielc
township, Noble county, Sila
Thorla spent his boyhood helping
his father make rye Whiskey at ;
distillery near his birthplace. A
the home of his grandparents a
HiramSburg. Thorla learned thu
business of making syrup.
Bellows Give Out"
. For 20 years he kept the store
and post office at RenrOck. HI
also worked as a carpenter, anc
for several years in the 1905 ht
had photograph gallery at Nc
ConnelsVille. During these year
he played the coTnet in bands a
Renrock, Reinersville, Caldwell
and McConnelsVille He stopped
playing a few years ago becaus,
as he said his "belloWs gave out.
While carrying on these othe
activities, Thorla made syrup il
season, He says that he was reall,
more interested in raising sor
ghum cane and making sorghum
in his mill at Renrock than h.