Caiutciiaii Forestry Journal. March, 1020 



109 



for the size of the sugar orchard. We 

 see all too frequently small evapor- 

 ating accommodation, necessitating 

 much overtime work. The largest 

 evaporator at the present time on the 

 market is a 6 ft. x 24 ft. This is not 

 at all unwieldly. and can be operated 

 by one man with little more trouble 

 than one of one-fourth the area. In 

 most sugar orchards this size should 

 be ample for an orchard of 4 000 

 trees, by providing a night shift for 

 boiling. The next point is to provide 

 large buckets, covers, and satisfac- 

 tory spouts to give the best possible 

 returns from each tree tapi^ed. Tt is 

 a frequent observation that small 

 buckets waste one-half of the sap 

 which flows, and that uncovered 

 buckets in rainy weather waste 

 nearly all the sap. 



It h;is been estimated that about 

 9% of the sugar content of the maple 

 tree is obtained from a single tap- 

 ping. Tt is also an opinion of ex- 

 perts that if 2o9^ could be obtained 

 no damage would be done to the 

 tree. If some way is devised by 

 which an increased flow could be ob- 

 tained it would increase the commer- 

 cial returns materially. 



In administering a sugar orchard 

 it is a well known fact that if th • 

 orchard is concentrated ox'er a small 

 area it is much more economical than 

 where the trees are wide a]iart. 

 Careful reforesting of tlie barren 

 areas in the orchard will, in time, 

 give an ideal orchard tor economical 

 administration. 



There are manv ])oints in the ca])in 

 and woodshed which may be ad- 

 justed for economical administration. 

 A large eva])orator will frecjueiitly 

 absorb three cords of wood durinjj" 

 the d;i\-. Tliis is a lot lii bring in 

 by the ;irniful. An o\ crhead rail 



from the woodslu'tl with a truck sus- 

 ])endin!^" ])latform will sinijilily thi-^ 

 \er\- much. There arr many oIIut 

 similar points ol economy which w^' 

 will not mention. 



Let us estimate, then, the results 

 at the end of twenty-five years after 

 careful reforesting that one would 

 expect to obtain. \\"ith an area of 

 thirty acres, averaging 135 trees, or 

 135 buckets to the acre, and one 

 large evaporator ,it would be pos- 

 sible for six men to administer this 

 with comparative ease. The average 

 annual return should be about two 

 pounds of sugar per tree, or one gal- 

 lon of syrup to five trees. If a high 

 quality of sugar and syrup were 

 made, as it should be under these 

 conditions, a high price should be 

 obtained for the product. 



The labor problem, of course, is a 

 very im])ortant factor in any esti- 

 mate of this kind, but the sugar sea- 

 son is a quiet one with those who 

 work on the farm and in the lumber 

 woods, and with proper accommoda- 

 tion for the men, ]:>referably in the 

 sugar orchard itself, it should not be 

 difficult to pro\ide and retain ade- 

 c|uate skilled labor. To many a 

 farmer who has a wood-lot and taps 

 a few trees that nature has given 

 him, the return is not arge for the 

 lal-or, l)nt the same thing prevailed 

 in the a])ple industry, when the farm- 

 er attempted to sell a few seedling 

 appes from accidental fruit trees 

 about the fences and clearings. To- 

 da}' select orchard lands are planted. 

 drained. cultivated, and carefully 

 tended, and 1 am free to say that. 

 considering the initial cost of suitable 

 apple tree land, and the subsequent 

 expense of planting and caring for 

 the orchard, the return is not great- 

 er, nor the in\ estment nu^re secure. 

 than would lu- a maple (M-chani well 

 located and well administered. V\w- 

 iliennore. much of the and suitable 

 for maple trees is (|uite unsuitable 

 for fruit trees, and young maj^le trees 

 .'ire foimd on e\ ery hand ready lor 

 ])antin.!':, and retpiire no spraying or 

 cnlti\ atinjr- The necessary capital to 

 |il,int .1 maple orchard is far below 

 the anionnl retpiired to plant a fruit 

 1 >rc!i:n"il. 



