THE PRODUCTION OF MAPLE SIRUP AND SUGAR. 



23 



It is a good plan to paint the outside of new metal buckets in 

 order to lengthen their time of usefulness. Painting them on the 

 inside is not a very good practice as the paint film will soon come 

 oil', especially if the 1 tuckets are scalded or washed with hot water. 

 If they are rusted on the inside to any extent, it is best to discard 

 them. Iron buckets or an iron exposure will always change the 

 sap. producing a dark-colored product; therefore the use of metal 

 buckets does not assure a light-colored. <m< id -flavored product. Care 

 must be used with any kind to get good results. 



COVERS. 



The use of bucket covers is a disputed question. During the sap 

 season rain and snow alternate with sunshine. Uncovered buckets 

 hung on the trees are in a position to catch all this and, in addition, 

 leaves, twigs, bark, in- 

 sects, and dirt that may 

 be swept through the 

 air by the wind. The 

 rain water dilutes the 

 sap, besides often car- 

 rying with it the dirt 

 from the trees as tree 

 washings, which can 

 not be removed from 

 the sap: the only 

 course is to empty the 

 bucket. Twigs, leaves, 

 insects, and such for- 

 eign material can be 

 removed by straining 

 the >ap. but they leave 

 a part of their soluble 

 matter, which can 

 never be removed. For 

 these reasons one 

 would naturally expect 



that the Use of covers FIG. 5. Open buckets. (Too many buckets on one tree.) 



would become almost 



universal. Objections are made to their use in that more time is 

 consumed in removing them when emptying the buckets; also that 

 the sap sours more quickly in covered than uncovered buckets. 



Makers who always use covers say that with a hinge arrangement 

 fastened to the spout no extra time is necessary to empty buckets, 

 and that if any extra time is used less time is needed in boiling the 

 sirup and a better-flavored product is obtained, so there is an actual 

 saving" of time. By fastening the cover so that the back edge is 

 raised a little above the front, a free access of air is possible. Many 

 of the covers on the market are arranged in that way. Many advo- 

 cates and users of covers refute the claim that the sap sours more 

 easily when covered, asserting that sap sours rather from uncleanly 

 methods. When little or no rain or snow falls during the sap season, 

 there is not the need of covers. It is true, however, that darker sirup 

 results from the uncovered bucket. 



510 



