402 



GLEANINGS TN BEE CULTURE. 



Mav 1 



MAPLE SUGAR MAKING. 



From Cuba to Northern Michigan may 

 seem somewhat abrupt; but the last of 

 March found Mrs. Root and myself once 

 more at the " cabin in the woods." 



Around said cabin, on the hillside and in 

 the valleys, are perhaps 100 maple-trees; 

 and as our maple-sugar book has been out 

 about 17 years, I decided it would be nice 

 to make a test of all the modern appliances 

 for the convenience of the maple sugar and 

 syrup maker. The Champion Evaporator 

 Co., of Hudson, Ohio, said they could fit 

 me out with a small apparatus, combining 

 all the modern improvements, for about 

 $45.00; and on the 27th of March we tapped 

 our trees, set up the machinery, and set a 

 carpenter at work making a sugar-house 

 over it. In just one week the house with all 

 its appointments was done, and our whole 

 outfitwas snug and secure from theweather. 

 The man who built it is only a rough car- 

 penter, and was glad to do the job for $1.75 

 per day; and as it was all made of cheap lum- 

 ber ($10.00 per 1000) the expense was not 

 over $25.00 or $30.00. 



I at first planned to carry my sap from 

 the trees on the hill down to the sugar-house 

 in iron pipes, and we ma3' do this yet; but 

 as the trees are pretty well scattered, some 

 on low and some on high ground, I decided 

 to carr}' the sap by hand until we found 

 out better what was wanted. I did some 

 studying before locating the boiling-place. 

 If the ground is level, or nearly so, the 

 camp should be in the center of the cluster 

 of trees; but several things must be consid- 

 ered. First, we wish to avoid carrying sap 

 uphill — better have the camp a little lower 

 than the trees, even if 3'ou walk further. 

 Again, as it is dangerous to leave an ex- 

 pensive apparatus (even if it is automatic) 

 very long by itself, it is well to have it near 

 the dwelling, even if this brings it off at 

 one side of the trees. Ours is right in plain 

 sight of the back door, at the foot of a ra- 

 vine, well sheltered from rough winds and 

 storms, and lower than most of the trees. 

 One of my first jobs was to make convenient 

 paths to the trees, and to have these paths 

 so arranged as to have a regular route, and 

 at the same time save all unnecessary steps. 

 I hardly need say that, as a rule, the most 

 distant trees should be visited first, that we 

 may never carry any sap away from the 

 camp, then have to carry it back over the 

 same track. These same rules will apply 

 mostly to gathering with a horse or horses, 

 as well as to gathering by hand. 



The sap is first poured into a galvanized 

 storage-tank. This material is all right 

 for cold sap, but should never be used for 

 hot sap, or hot syrup or sugar. Even if the 

 pails are covered, it is best to strain the 

 sap into the storafje-tank. We do this by 

 pouring it into a bag of cheese-cloth. This 

 bag is held open by being sewed to a hoop, 

 the hoop being supported a little below the 

 upper edge of the tank. The automatic ap- 

 paratus that regulates by a float-valve the 

 flow of sap into the boilers works complete. 



When boiling rapidly, a good-sized stream 

 of sap can be seen flowing from the valve; 

 but as soon as the boiling slackens, this 

 stream closes down, so the sap in all the 

 boilers stands at one uniform height; and 

 the machine can be adjusted so as to keep 

 the level at one inch, two inches, or any de- 

 sired depth in the boiler. And, by the way, 

 it is much easier to push the evaporation 

 when the sap is gauged to run shallow, say 

 not over 1'2 inches in the pans. Our little 

 machine has four pans, and each pan has 

 divisions, so the sap is always moving from 

 the first apartment, where it goes in cold, 

 to the last, where it may be drawn off a 

 steady stream of finished syrup. 



Now, these four pans can be disconnected 

 in an instant (and that, too, without wast- 

 ing a drop of sapor syrup), so that one per- 

 son alone can easily handle any one of them. 

 Every thing fits exactly anywhere. All 

 joints are ground connections of solid brass. 

 So far we have used nothing but dead and 

 rotten wood picked up near the camp; but 

 the furnace boils down so rapidly this 

 small size will easily run 100 trees, although 

 when I bought it I told the makers I expect- 

 ed to have only about 50 trees. 



When we tapped our trees the neighbors 

 all round here had closed up sugar-making, 

 saying the unusually warm weather through 

 the whole of March had started the buds, 

 and that the sap had become "buddy." 

 From what experience I have had, I have 

 an impression that nice syrup can be made 

 at any time when it freezes nights, and 

 thaws days; but to do this, the pans must 

 all be clean, and the sap gathered and boil- 

 ed before any trace of fermentation has 

 taken place. Our evaporators are all of 

 heavy bright tin, and our syrup is as light 

 in color, and as fine in flavor, as any I ever 

 saw. 



Some of the happiest hours of mj' boyhood 

 were while I was running a little sugar- 

 camp, and I confess that, during the past 

 few days, when I passed from tree to tree, 

 toward the close of a beautiful spring day, 

 it made me feel as if I were a boy again. 



After j'ou have emptied the bright new tin 

 pails, the ringing sound of the drops of sap 

 as they strike the tin bottom, tinkling here 

 and there ofT through the woods, has a fas- 

 cination for nie like few things else in the 

 whole line of rural industries; and the sight 

 of the leeks and adder-tongues springing 

 up from their mossj' banks, and peeping out 

 from under their leafj' blankets, makes me 

 feel like swinging my cap and shouting my 

 joy at the advent of springtime.* 



* At one time during our sugar-making a snowstorm 

 came up. Tlie carpenter had not quite got his roof 

 over the boilers ; but he hurried it up. and by night 

 had it all secured from the wet. INIeanwhile I had 

 stirred around and collected some dry wood - enough 

 to last me quite a spell, piling the dampest of it around 

 the arch and all about the chimney ; and as the sap 

 kept running it was necessary to boil pretty well into 

 the night. As I sat in a chair just before the furnace- 

 door, listening to the rain out.'^ide, and reflecting that 

 it co\ild neither harm our apparatus nor could it get 

 into the sap (because the pails were all covered). I 

 stirred the fire again, and, making the sparks fly, and 

 taking in the breath of the woods and the aroma of 



