TREE PRODUCTS 127 



On the other hand, the amateur orchardist 

 might do far worse than to set a row of "sugar" 

 maples, as ornamental trees about the borders of 

 his orchard or gardens, regarding the capacitj'^ 

 of the tree to produce a certain amount of sugar 

 as an incidental attraction that adds to the value 

 of a tree that otherwise is deserving because of 

 its beauty of form and general attractiveness. 



The production of the sweet sap that has made 

 the sugar maple famous gives this particular 

 species exceptional interest among the members 

 of a very meritorious family. Just why this spe- 

 cies should have developed the capacity to pro- 

 duce so sugary a sap in such abundance, it would 

 perhaps be difficult to say. A certain amount 

 of sap may be drawn from the tissues of other 

 maples, and even from the walnut and butter- 

 nut, and in diluted form from the birches; but 

 only the sugar maple produces sap of such qual- 

 ity as to be of real value. 



When the Sap Runs Best 



And of course it is well known that the sugar 

 maple itself has a "flow" of sap that is worth 

 tapping, for a very brief period each season, 

 just as winter is merging into spring. It is tra- 

 ditional at least among the makers of maple 

 sugar that the sap runs best in those days of 



