42 THE PRODUCTION OF MAPLE SIRUP AND SUGAR. 



A camp of 100 trees should produce about 40 gallons of sirup or 

 300 pounds of sugar. 



COST OF MANUFACTURE AND SELLING PRICE. 



The cost of manufacturing maple products is an extremely variable 

 figure. The season of production comes at a time of the year when 

 little or no other work can be done on the farm, thus allowing the 

 aid of the family and farm help for the boiling and manufacture. 

 Moreover, since the sugar bushes as a general rule are situated on 

 hilly country that would not be suitable for any other crop, these 

 two items could hardly be placed at a high value in a table of costs. 

 The individual trees of some bushes average more than those of 

 others, and some makers use more care and obtain better yields, so, 

 all things considered, one can hardly place an actual estimate on 

 the cos.t of manufacture. Makers on a large scale claim that the 

 cost is from 45 to 75 cents a gallon for sirup, and from 5 to 8 cents 

 a pound for sugar. With small makers, the cost tends toward the 

 lower limit if no help is employed, and toward the upper if help 

 is employed. It is claimed that one man and one boy can run a 

 camp of 500 trees and manufacture the product. There is a ques- 

 tion, however, whether a good grade product can be produced with 

 so little labor, as one person has to be at the evaporator all the time 

 when the sap is boiling. A poorer grade results from loading up 

 the evaporator and going away to collect the sap. 



Ohio makers who have taken up this question of cost of manufac- 

 ture believe that at 50 cents a gallon there is no profit. There have 

 been seasons of plenty, however, when the makers were offered only 

 45 cents a gallon in barrel lots, and many claim they made money 

 even at that low figure. 



The grade of product is an item in the cost of manufacture. Sirup 

 requiring only the concentrating of the sap to a standard density 

 costs less to manufacture than sugar which requires extra evapora- 

 tion. It is claimed that sirup sold in bulk at 50 cents a gallon is 

 equal to sugar at 7 cents a pound, at 58 cents a gallon is equal to 

 sugar at 8 cents a pound, at 66 cents a gallon is equal to sugar at 

 9 cents a pound, and at 74 cents a gallon is equal to sugar at 10 cents 

 a pound, but this is hardly true as it costs at least 5 cents a gallon 

 to turn the sirup to sugar. 



The cost of placing the goods on the market varies; in the case 

 of sirup, screw-cap cans are generally used in sizes of pint, quart, 

 and gallon, and in the case of sugar, the fancy cake, the large brick, 

 and the tub sugar are the usual forms. 



The question as to whether the production of sirup or of sugar is 

 more profitable can be decided only by knowing the market where 

 they are to be sold. Maple sirup in gallon cans can be sold at from 

 $1 up to $2, while in barrels as low as 45 cents has been paid for it. 

 Seventy to seventy-five cents, however, is a better average price for 

 sirup in barrel lots. Sugar sells anywhere from 7 to 25 cents a 

 pound, depending on the grade and form. The highest price is ob- 

 tained for maple sugar put up in small. 1 or 2 ounce cakes, while 

 possibly the lowest is for brick and tub sugars. An ordinary price 

 is about 10 to 15 cents a pound. 



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