1572 



Canadian Forcstrij Journal, March, 1918 



.$4,000,000 a year, and if all the Irecs 

 were tapped this amount could be 

 easily doubled. 



Adulteration Discouraged 



Since the Dominion Governmenl 

 gave protection against the plague ot 

 adulteralion which was undermining 

 the market at home and abroad, th^ 

 entire business has been placed upon 

 a new footing. The market is growing 

 rapidly, not only in Canada, but in the 

 United States and Great Britain, 

 New Zealand, South Africa, Australia 

 and Newfoundland. Last year, an 

 order for one-hundred thousand 

 pounds came from Lyons, France. 

 Another order for 25,000 one-pound 

 cakes was received from Chicago. 

 From 70 to 100 car loads are sent 

 every season to the United States. 

 Mr. Gustave Boyer, President of the 

 Co-operative Agricultural Association 

 said recently that the enforcement of 

 the law protecting the making of good 

 sugar was having a marked effect. 

 Last year out of 209 samples, 162 were 

 found pure. 



Indian Methods 



The manufacture of maple sugar in 

 Canada began with the Indian tribes. 

 On the approach of Spring the Indian 

 tapped his trees aslant with a toma- 

 hawk and inserted above this opening; 

 a chip of wood or pipe from which the 

 sap fell drop by drop into a birch bark 

 receptacle. The sap was then boiled 

 in earthernware vessels. In this way 

 they obtained a small quantity of 

 thick black syrup, the only sugar 

 used by the Indians. 



The industry has not made the 

 progress that might have been antic- 

 ipated. In 1860 the Eastern Cana- 

 dian farmers made 13,000,000 pounds 

 of sugar, two-thirds as much as was 

 made in 1910. They secured these 

 earlier results with very crude equip- 

 ment and lack of markets. As time 

 went on the unfair and dishonest 

 competition of adulterators almost 

 forced the industry to the point of 

 ruin. 



It is estimated that scarcely one- 

 quarter of the valuable maple trees 

 of Canada are being tapped each 



season. According to the Quebec 

 producers, to justify any adventure 

 into the maple sugar business, from 

 700 to 1000 maple trees should be 

 tapped. This necessitates employing 

 two men. With 1,000 cans, from 1500 

 to 2,000 pounds of sugar can usually 

 be made, taking into account the 

 average yield every season. Mr. 

 J. H. Lefebvre, Secretary of the Co- 

 operative Agricultural Association, 

 has made 1300 pounds with 400 cans. 

 "If the yield is 2,000 pounds," says 

 Mr. Lefebvre, "keep 400 pounds for 

 your own use, leaving you 1600 

 pounds, worth from 10 to 14 cents. 

 Even at 12 cents a pound the returns 

 amount to .$192. These sugar camps, 

 when properly worked, pay very well. 

 It requires only a few days work at a 

 time of the year when nothing else is 

 being done." 



$30 an Acre 



If a high quality of sugar and syrup 

 are made, 100 trees per acre, with an 

 average ot 2 pounds of sugar per load 

 selling at 15 cents a pound, the results 

 would be an income of ,$30 per acre 

 on practically waste land, giving the 

 farmer good returns for his labor. 



STARTING THE SAP FLOW 



