CHAPTER XI 

 THE MOST INTERESTING FOKEST PRODUCTS 



PERHAPS the story of the forest as told thns far has 

 appeared tedious and the tale of how tali trees are 

 turned into lumber has become tiresome. However, there 

 are other products of the forest, the story of whose man- 

 ufacture will be of great interest, for the forest fur- 

 nishes many other things for our use which have not yet 

 been mentioned. 



Maple Syrup and Maple Sugar. Perhaps the most in- 

 teresting forest product to the average young person 

 or even grown-up with a sweet tooth, is maple syrup 

 which is made by boiling down the sap of the hard or 

 sugar maple until the sweet syrupy liquid is obtained. 

 Maple sugar is made by the same process, but the sap 

 is boiled a longer time until the sugar crystallizes. The 

 manufacture of maple syrup and sugar is quite an im- 

 portant industry in the States where the sugar maple 

 is common and the "sugar bush," as the grove of maples 

 which furnishes the sweet sap is called, is a busy place 

 during early spring. At present Vermont, New Hamp- 

 shire and northern New York furnish large quantities 

 of sugar products, and may be considered the centers 

 of production in this country. 



The management of a sugar bush is quite different 

 from that applied to an ordinary woodlot. Where timber 

 is desired, the crowns are kept small and the growth 

 of tall trunks is encouraged. Where large quantities of 

 sap are desired large spreading crowns are allowed to 



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