LUTHER BURBANK 



might do far worse than to set a row of maples, as 

 ornamental trees about the borders of his orchard 

 or gardens, regarding the capacity 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 

 species should have developed the capacity to 

 produce 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 butternut, 

 and in diluted form from the birches; but only the 

 sugar maple produces sap of such quality 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 tap- 

 ping, for a very brief period each season, just as 

 winter is merging into spring. It is traditional at 

 least among the makers of maple sugar that the 

 sap runs best in those days of early spring when 

 the sun shines brightly while there is a coverlet of 

 snow on the ground. At this time, all that is neces- 



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