35 



snow, or by dipping into it a twig bent into a loop. If the sirup 

 became waxy on the snow, or if it formed an elastic film within the 

 loop, it had boiled enough and was ready to "sugar." Under more 

 modern methods the testing is done with a thermometer, and sugar is 

 made at different temperatures according to the qualities wanted. 

 During the early run of sap 238 F. will make cake sugar, but later in 

 the season the sap will require 242. If not intended for immediate 

 consumption, or if a cake that will not "drain" is desired, the temper- 

 ature may be brought up to 245 or 253 (see footnote, p. 33). At 

 these temperatures, however, the sugar will be too hard to eat com- 

 fortably. In practice it is best to reduce the sirup to sugar in small 

 quantities, and before pouring the mass into the molds (fig. 6, No. 1) 

 to lower its temperature slowly by stirring, in order to avoid too rapid 

 granulation. 



The most convenient size and form for sugar is in bricks of 1 to 5 

 pounds and in 10-pound pails for family use. Sugar put up in bulk 

 is likely to fall into the hands of the mixer at a low price. That in 

 small and attractive sizes is better adapted for personal use, and 

 more acceptable to the wholesale and retail trade. The ordinary 

 10-pound pail is a good package if it reaches the consumer soon after 

 it is filled. If it is to be kept through the summer, a wooden tub or 

 tin pail with a caver that can be hermetically sealed is better, as 

 sugar left in an unsealed package is apt to mold in hot weather. 

 The bricks should be wrapped in paraffin paper and packed in cases 

 of equal lots. 



Sugar and sirup should be stored in a cool, dry cellar or store- 

 room, as excessive heat is bad for them particularly a combination 

 of heat and moisture, which causes the sugar to mold and the sirup 

 to ferment. 



THE PROFIT. 



The production of maple sugar is so largely a home industry that 

 normal conditions of labor and expenditure can hardly be considered. 

 The bulk of the maple sugar on the market comes from farms where 

 the families have supplied the labor, where the cost of the sugar 

 grove can not be determined, and where the expenditure is entirely 

 confined to a few utensils and a rude sugarhouse. An expenditure 

 and profit estimate for such methods would have but little value, 

 and could not be made specific enough to serve as an example. 

 Nevertheless a general table can be given which will serve as a guide 

 for the prospective maker. The following estimate is made for a 

 grove of 15 acres upon which about 1,000 sugar trees are standing. 

 Such woods in Vermont would cost from $5 to $10 per acre, according 

 to location, but to make a perfectly safe figure the price is here taken 

 at $15. 



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