[snell] maple products 223 



The results showed an average of 56-2 oz. sugar sand ash per 1000 

 trees. This corresponds to 100 oz. washed sugar sand of the average 

 composition indicated by Mr. Lochhead's analyses of samples of the 

 previous season, or to 70 oz. anhydrous calcium malate or 55 oz. malic 

 acid. If the 19 million trees tapped in the United States in 1909 

 yielded in the same proportion, they would produce 30}^ tons malic 

 acid, of which 24 tons could be recovered on a 75 per cent basis. 

 Canada's production of sugar in 1910 being five-ninths of that of the 

 United States in 1909, her possible production of malic acid from this 

 source would be 18 tons total, or 13}4 tons 75 per cent recovery. 



Reasoning from the ratio of malic acid to sugar— probably a 

 more reliable basis — ^we reach a higher result. Per 1000 lbs. sugar 

 these twenty-one farmers produced sugar sand yielding 35-3 oz. ash, 

 equivalent to 62-4 oz. washed sugar sand, 43-7 oz. calcium malate or 

 34-3 oz. malic acid. Canada's production of sugar in the last census 

 year amounted to 26 million pounds. The corresponding amount of 

 malic acid is 28 tons total or 21 tons recoverable. 



Prof. Warren^ has estimated the production of Ontario and 

 Quebec at 127,200 lbs. sugar sand. On the basis of 47-4 per cent 

 malic acid this would contain 30 tons malic acid. 



It is not improbable that a better recovery than 75 per cent 

 would be accomplished on the manufacturing scale. On the other 

 hand, it is scarcely probable that nearly all the sugar sand produced 

 could be collected, inasmuch as the amount produced by individual 

 farmers is small and many of them could hardly be induced to take 

 the trouble to wash and dry what they are in the habit of throwing 

 away. As a matter of fact, however, some of them have been saving 

 sugar sand for several years and shipments of some hundreds of 

 pounds have been made from Canada to chemical manufacturers in 

 Europe. 



The Non-Sugar Components of Maple Syrup 



Since the commercial value of maple syrup depends upon the 

 content of non-sugar compounds — flavouring and colouring matters — 

 and since most of the adulteration tests depend directly or indirectly 

 upon non-sugar components — chiefly salts — a more exact knowledge 

 of the nature and amount of these components is desirable. As yet 

 but little is known. The flavouring material has not been isolated or 

 in any way identified. Sy^ made an unsuccessful attempt. Wiley^ 



^ Vermont Maple Sugar Makers' Association, Twentieth Annual Report, 1913, 

 p. 45. 



2 Sy, Journ. Franklin Inst. Oct., Nov., and Dec, 1908, p. 29-32 of reprint. 



3 U.S. Dept. Agr., Bureau Forestry Bulletin 59 (1905), p. 47. 



