THE PRODUCTION OF MAPLE SIRUP AND SUGAR. H 



In discussing the methods required to bring about these results, the 

 several common types of sugar groves will be described. Logically 

 it would be proper to begih with the treatment of a sapling thicket 

 and continue through each stage to the mature grove, but as the 

 larlier stages of growth are the most complicated to deal with, the 

 order of consideration will be reversed. 



THE IMPROVEMENT OF A DENSE MATURE GROVE. 



A large number of groves are merely parts of the old hardwood 

 1'orest, having a preponderance of sugar maple in the mixture. 

 These trees have their normal forest form a long, smooth stem and 

 compact crown. There is little to be gained in actual sap production 

 by thinning such a stand (p. 9), as it has generally passed the period 

 of vigorous growth and would not develop larger crowns, although 

 the sap season may be brought on earlier by opening up the grove to 

 Minshine. The mixture can be regulated, however, and provision 

 made for a pure growth of maple to succeed the old forest as it passes 

 away. The usual mixture of birch, beech, elm, basswood, and ash 

 may be gradually removed and the reproduction of maple thereby 

 assured. This thinning should pay for itself in most localities from 

 the resulting fuel and saw timber. In making such a thinning the 

 following precautions should be observed: 



(1) When the trees to be removed occur in groups, they should not 

 all be cut out immediately, leaving large gaps in the forest cover, 

 since forest -grown sugar maples have a broad, shallow root system, 

 and are subject to windfall when suddenly exposed. The trees which 

 crowd the best maples should be taken out first; the rest should be 

 removed later, when the sugar trees have become more wind firm. 



(2) Where several maples crowd each other and form a dense 

 cover, those with the smallest crow r ns, those which are unsound, and 

 those which show signs of bad health or decline should be removed. 



(3) Young maples which show possibilities of good crown de- 

 velopment should be cut free from interference on every side. 



(4) If the grove borders on open land, it should not be thinned for 

 a distance of at least 25 feet from its edge. This is a safeguard 

 against damage by storms, and is particularly important in borders 

 exposed to heavy winds. 



(5) When practicable, the young growth of other species than 

 maple should be removed. 



(6) It is Avell to accomplish the thinning in a series of years, rather 

 than at once and radically, thus avoiding violent changes. 



(7) It is important to maintain the humus and ground moisture in 

 every maple grove. In localities where natural forests of sugar 

 maple are common the danger of destroying the proper soil condi- 

 tions by letting in the sunlight is not great, but if a grove of this 

 type lies where the summers are hot the cover must be broken very 

 gradually. 



THE IMPROVEMENT OF AN OPEN MATURE GROVE. 



In the more settled and less wooded portions of the maple sugar 

 producing district it is noticeable that a large proportion of the 

 groves are old and very often overmature. They have evidently 



516 



