60 



Spouts and vessels: All the prize winners use galvanized, steel 

 spouts of tapering form so as to be held by the bark, instead of being 

 jammed against the sap wood, and to be easily withdrawn. The spout 

 is so constructed as to exclude air from the bore. Most of the hauling 

 and storage tanks are of galvanized iron. A number of makers expressed 

 a preference for tinned tanks. The buckets used are chiefly of tin many 

 of them painted on the outside. 



Covers: The majority of the prize winners use covers on their sap 

 buckets and most of those who do not express their intention of getting 

 them before next season. Some say that covers will pay for themselves 

 in one season if at all stormy as they keep out the rain and snow and 

 washing from the trees, and save fuel and time of boiling and insure 

 a lighter, better flavoured syrup. 



Cleaning and care of sap utensils: Without an exception the pails 

 and tanks are well washed and by many scalded at the close of the sugar 

 season, thoroughly dried in the sunshine and stored upside down in dry 

 airy quarters. These, as well as the spouts, are again thoroughly washed 

 at the beginning of the season, and the tanks are washed two or three 

 times during the sugar season or as often as they appear to need it. 

 Some makers make it a rule to wash out the tanks at the end of each 

 run of sap. 



A prize winner who greased the inside of his sap buckets with tallow 

 at the close of the previous season to prevent rusting had to throw 

 away the first run of sap because it was tainted by the grease. 



The evaporator: All makers use a modern evaporator having a 

 corrugated bottom. Most of them clean the inside and brush the bot- 

 tom free of soot after each boiling. In some cases where covers are 

 used and the sap is carefully strained makers find washing once in two 

 or three days sufficient. All agree that the pan needs washing whenever 

 it appears dirty on the sides. Some makers wash with hot sap using 

 a brush and cotton cloth. The use of sour milk followed by clean 

 washing is recommended for removing nitre from the pan. One prize 

 winner changed the position of the two back pans of the evaporator 

 every morning while another changed them at noon also. 



Boiling the sap: All agree that sap deteriorates quickly, therefore, 

 the sooner it is made up the better. Even in times of a slow run some 

 of the successful makers gather and boil each day while a few others 

 consider that boiling once in two days may do in very cool weather, 

 more especially if ice is used to keep the sap cold. For rapid boiling 

 all recommend shallow boiling and the use of very dry, sound wood 

 finely cut. At least part of the wood should be soft as it is more in- 

 flammable. 



