MANUFACTURE OP MAPLE SAP. 



271 



be liable to freeze in the mouth of the orifice. In these holes 

 spouts should be fixed, to project from the tree, from eight to 

 twelve inches, and not to enter the tree more than about half 

 an inch; as the farther they enter the more the running of 

 the sap is obstructed ; they should be prepared, in readiuess 

 for the season, of elder and sumach. 



Preserving the sap. In the early part of the season the 

 sap will keep two or three days without injuring ; but as the 

 spring advances, it will be necessary to boil the sap the day 

 after it iscollected, or it may ferment and sour. Lime. — To 

 every half barrel, or fifteen gallon kettle, a tea spoonful of 

 slacked lime should be put in, while the sap is fermenting, 

 and before it boils : this promotes the rising of the scum and 

 forming of the grain. Boiling.-^ A smart fire should be 

 kept up, while the sap is boiling. As the scum rises, be careful 

 to skim it off. When the liquor is reduced one half in quanti- 

 ty, lade the second kettle from the end into the end one, and 

 when the contents of three or four kettles can be contained in 

 one, let the whole be laded into that, at the end ; flUing up 

 the empty kettles without delay, with fresh sap. As the li- 

 quor in the end kettle, removed from tJiose which have been 

 mentioned, becomes a syrup, it should be strained through a 

 good blanket or woolen cloth ; and care must be taken not to 

 suffer it to boil so long as to be too thick to be strained in this 

 manner. It should, when thus cleansed from its impurities, 

 stand in buckets or other suitable vessels, twelve hours or 

 more, that the particles of lime, and other remaining sediment 

 may settle to the bottom ; after which it should be so gently 

 poured ofi*into a kettle or boiler, as not to carry with it any 

 of theie settlings. However they need not be wholly lost, 

 they will mostly contain a considerable quantity of sugar and 

 eyrup ; by pouring fresh sap on them, stirring them well to- 

 gether, and suffering them to stand a while to settle, a great 

 part of the valuable sweets contained in such sediment may be 

 saved. It may be further noted, that when the sap is weak. 



