The History of Maple Sugar 



stones. The sap was kept from boiling over by 

 dashing cold water into the kettle, or by reducing 

 the fire; and the pieces of bark or leaves and 

 other impurities were skimmed off while the 

 kettle was over the fire. The sirup thus produced, 

 if removed from the fire at the proper time, 

 formed 'a molasses, pleasant to the taste, but 

 dark in color and not always of good quality. 



With the increase of population, the demand 

 for good sirup and sugar grew. This induced 

 better methods, and the result was less waste 

 and purer products. Sugar is seldom made now 

 in the open woods, and in nearly every sugar 

 bush is a small house or sugar shanty used in 

 each spring's sugar making. 



The old ax cut was replaced by an auger 

 hole which did not injure the tree. At first this 

 was a large opening, made to hold the wooden 

 spout or "spile" then used. Gradually it was 

 made smaller, until now the small metal spouts 

 used fill holes only an inch deep and less than 

 half an inch in diameter. Wooden pails took the 

 place of bark dishes for catching the sap, and 

 they in turn have now given way to vessels of 

 galvanized iron. Years ago the men who went 



