94 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 NOTES OF THE SEASON. 



Winter set in with just a sufficient fall of snow for 

 good slcighlnf;;, about the first of December. The 

 stonn came ofi' mild, and the snow remained quiet 

 as it fell, so that it furnished fine opportunities for 

 travelling, hauling wood, or, indeed, any business in 

 which the farmer wished to engage. With small 

 additions of snow, the sleiglxing continued fine until 

 near the middle of the month, when in many places 

 it was spoiled by the thaw, while in others, from the 

 ice formed when the storm came off, it remained pass- 

 able. On the afternoon of the 22d, a violent storm of 

 snow came on from the south-east, from which the 

 wind soon changed to north-east, and blew a tempest 

 for three or four hours. This storm, as north -casters 

 usually do, came oif mild ; but on the afternoon of the 

 24th it grew colder, and the 25th was a rough, cold, 

 boisterous day. The morning of the 26th was the 

 coldest of the season thus far ; the mercury sunk 

 10° below 0. 



January came in very mild, but not warm enough 

 to waste the snow. Unusual mildness has charac- 

 terized the month. The whole depth of snow which 

 has fallen during the month is thirty-three and one 

 quarter inches ; greatest fall at one time, nine 

 inches, January 18 ; — the gross amount of rain, ten 

 and one quarter inches ; — greatest fall on the after- 

 noon of the 11th, three and one half inches, llain 

 and hail fell to the depth of two inches the 21st. The 

 number of days on which storms fell during the day 

 and night was sixteen. There were seven days of 

 entire cloudiness, when neither sun, moon, nor stars 

 were seen, during the month. There have been but 

 few days on which it has not thawed some, and very 

 frequently the snow has softened through. The 

 coldest day was the 29th, and the coldest morning 

 the 30th. The ground has been unfrozen in the 

 woods through the month, and timber has been per- 

 ceptibly frozen only once or twice, and that only for 

 a short time. The singing of Phcbe birds was heard 

 on the 4th and 18th of the month, as blithe and gay 

 as though spring had really given them welcome. 



The winter, with so much fine sleighing, and so 

 much mildness, has of course thus far been a fine 

 one for business or pleasure. Farmers have im- 

 proved it well, as fine wood-piles and other visible 

 facts will fully testify. If it should continue so fine 

 until the spring opens, it will have no claim to the 

 character of a dead, unprofitable one, as our New 

 England winters are so often called : we hope it will 

 prove an agreeable exception to all such. 

 Yours truly, 



Feb. 1, 1850. W. BACON. 



For the Xeio England Farmer. 

 MAKING SUGAR. 



Mil. Editor ; As the time for making maple sugar 

 is approaching, a few remarks on the subject may 

 not be wholly uninteresting, even though some of 

 them may not be altogether new. 



In this, as in every thing else, the profits depend 

 very much upon the maimer in which the work is 

 done. Some fifty years since, all that was required 

 in this part of the country was, a few troughs made 

 by digging out one half of a poplar log, two or three 

 feet long, and three or four iron kettles, which were 

 suspended between two logs, in the open air. A chip 

 was cut from the tree with an axe, sloping in such a 

 manner that the sap would rvin to one corner of the 

 cavity, and a spout was inserted with a gouge. At 

 the close of the sugar season the troughs were 

 inverted, and allowed to remain through the sum- 

 mer. Under such circumstances we shall be almost 



ready to admit the remark of an old gentleman not 

 particular for neatness, that the sap from his trees 

 was so sweet that he could not see to the bottom of 

 it ; and after adding the coals and ashes which would 

 fall into it in boiling over an open fire, Ave shall 

 readily perceive that the color of the sugar must 

 have been decidedly rich. 



Now, although there may not be any one at the 

 present time who is as slovenly as this, yet there are 

 some who do but little better, making sugar as near 

 to the color of tar as to sugar made as it should be, 

 and but little better in taste. 



I do not pretend to any particular skill in this 

 business, but for the benefit of those who know still 

 less, I will endeavor to give a few plain directions, by 

 which maple sugar may be made equal to the best 

 brown sugar made from cane. 



In the first place, suitable vessels should be pro- 

 vided to catch the sap ; and for this purpose I prefer 

 pine tubs, made smallest at the top, because they are 

 less liable to leak than those made of other timber, 

 and they will catch less water, in rainy weather, by 

 tapering upwards. They should not be painted on 

 the inside, as the paint is liable to come off, and give 

 an unpleasant taste to the sap. Hemlock and spruce 

 tubs are apt to leak, and butternut will give a dark 

 color. 



Spouts may bo made of common sumac with the 

 least labor, but perhajis pine ones would be neater. 

 The trees should be bored with a five eighths bit, and 

 the tubs suspended by a cord or small wire from the 

 spouts, or hooks, made for the purpose. When the 

 trees are so scattered that it is necessary to use a 

 team to gather it, a tub may be made of any required 

 size, with a square hole cut in the upper head large 

 enough to admit a pail, and a Ud fitted closely to 

 this space. 



The tub should taper towards the top in order to 

 retain its hoops, and stand firm on the sled. The 

 sooner the sap is gathered and evaporated the better. 

 For this purpose "sap pans," as they are called, are 

 much the most economical. 



They are made of sheet iron, which should be of 

 the best quality, from five to seven feet in length, 

 fi'om two to three in width, and from six to nine 

 inches in depth, and stiffened by a large wire around 

 the top, with two handles on each side, for conve- 

 nience in handling. This should be placed on cast- 

 iron bars, over a fireplace built of brick, the inside 

 of which should be about half an inch on each side 

 smaller than the bottom of the pan. About one 

 third of this, next to the chimney, should bo bricked 

 up to within eight or ten inches of the bottom of the 

 pan, as this will save fuel. A space the size of a 

 brick should be left on each side, at the bottom, and 

 about the middle of the fireplace, which will pre- 

 vent it from filling up with coals, and may be stopped 

 up at any time with a couple of bricks. With a pan 

 five feet by two on the bottom, and three inches 

 larger each way on the top, six barrels may be evap- 

 orated in a day, by filling it at night, and leaving a 

 good fire under it. Care should be taken, however, 

 not to leave too much fire, unless the jjan is deep, as 

 it sometimes " bums down." 



The pan should rest on the bars at all points, as 

 otherwise they will be exposed to be bent by the 

 heat. Good dry wood is absolutely necessary, and 

 soft wood, such as hemlock or pine, is best, as it 

 makes less coals, and burns clearer. The sap should 

 be boiled to a sirup as thick as will run through a 

 woolen strainer after it is cold ; it should then be 

 strained, and allowed to stand over night to settle, 

 after which it should be drawn off carefully as long 

 as it runs clear. The white of eggs and saleratus, 

 the quantity proportioned to the impurities contained 

 in the sirup, should be mixed with it while cold, and 

 it should be heated slowly until it begins to boil, 



