1-86 Account of the American Sugar Maple. 



an inch into the hole, and it projects from three to twelve 

 inches. The operation of tapping is firft done on the fouth 

 fide ; and when the difcharge of fap lefiens, an opening is 

 made with the auger on the north fide, when an abundant 

 flow takes place. 



Wooden troughs large enough to contain three or four 

 gallons are placed under the fpout to receive the fap, which 

 is carried eveiy day to a large receiver made of wood. From 

 this receiver it is conveyed, after being ftrained, to the boiler. 

 The following fa&s have been afcertained by experiment : 

 The fooner the fap is boiled, after it is colle&ed from the 

 tree, the better. The larger the veffel the more fugar is ob- 

 tained. The fugar is alfo improved by {training the fap 

 through blankets, or cloth, either before or after it is halt 

 boiled. Some fatty fubftance is added to the fap in the 

 kettle, to prevent its boiling over. Lime, eggs, or new milk, 

 is mixed with it in order to clarify it. I have feen clear 

 fugar made without the addition of either of them. A 

 fpoonful of flack lime, the white of one egg, and a pint of 

 new milk, are the ufual proportions of thefe articles, which 

 are mixed with fifteen gallons of fap. The maple fugar 

 clarified with milk alone had the evident fuperiority of all 

 others. After being fufficiently boiled, it is grained, and 

 clayed, and afterwards refined, or converted into loaf fugar. 

 The method of conducting each of thefe procefles is fo 

 nearly the fame with thofe which are ufed in the manufac- 

 tory of Weft India fugar, and are fo generally known, that 

 I need fpend no time in defcribing them. 



There are two other methods of reducing the fap to fugar. 

 The firft is by freezing. This method was tried by Mr. Scott, 

 a farmer in this ftate, with great fuccefs. He fays, that one 

 half of a given quantity of fap reduced in this way, is better 

 than one third of the fame quantity reduced by boiling. If 

 the froft fhould not be intenfe enough to reduce the fap to 

 the graining point, it may afterwards be expofed to the 

 aftion of fire for that purpofc. 



Secondly, 



