18 THE PRODUCTION OF MAPLE SIRUP AND SUGAR. 



THE PREPARATION FOR OPENING. 



In the spring, when preparing for the opening of the sugar season, 

 or during the fall of the year before', roads should be cut through the 

 bush. Any brush that is in the way should be cut down, and any 

 holes that might overturn the cart of sap should be filled. In laying 

 out the roads through the woods some plan should be followed that 

 every portion of the bush may be accessible, so that when the sap is 

 running fast and many sap buckets quickly fill the gathering pail, 

 the latter will not have to be carried far to be emptied into the 

 hauling tank. Furthermore, by having these roads accessible to all 

 parts of the bush there is more assurance that all the sap buckets will 

 be visited each day during the sugar season. The necessity for this 

 will be discussed later. 



TAPPING THE TREES. 



LOCATION AND CHARACTER OF TAP HOLE. 



Before tapping, the side of the tree should be brushed with a stiff 

 broom to remove all loose bark and dirt and a spot selected where 

 the bark looks healthy, some distance from the scar of a previous 

 tapping. Care should also be taken to tap where a bucket attached 

 to the spout inserted in the hole will hang level and be partly sup- 

 ported by the tree itself. The distance from the ground should be 

 such as will be convenient for the collector of sap; that is, about 

 waist high. The location of the tap hole as to the point of the 

 compass depends much upon the tree and its location in the bush. 

 In general it is on the south side of a tree for earliest runs, as the 

 sun shines on this side first, the east side being next best, while it is 

 claimed by some that holes on the north side flow longest. It is 

 usually best to tap on the side of the tree where other trees do not 

 shade the spot. 



The main requisite in tapping a tree is a good sharp bit with which 

 a clean-cut hole can be made. If rusty and dull, the bit cuts a rough, 

 feathered hole, which soon becomes foul, stopping the flow. After 

 the tapping all shavings should be removed to make the hole clean. 

 The bark should never be cut away before boring the hole, as this 

 shortens the life of the tree. 



SIZE OF HOLE. 



Among sugar makers the size of the hole is a much mooted ques- 

 tion. All agree that it should be of such size that it will heal over 

 in one season, or at the longest in two years. General practice seems 

 to indicate that three-eighths to half an inch is the best diameter; 

 then, if the season is long and a warm spell interrupts the flow, the 

 holes can be reamed out to one-half to five-eighths of an inch, and 

 thereby secure an increased run. A thirteen thirty-seconds of an 

 inch bit is often used. The bit should be especially sharp and should 

 bring the shavings to the surface. Its direction is slightly upward 

 into the tree (see fig. 3). The slant allows the hole to drain readily. 



The depth of the hole is an important point on which different 

 makers vary. It should, however, be regulated by the size of the 



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