Canadiaji Forestry Journal, July, ipi6. 



613 



Canada's Maple Sugar Industry 



There Are 55,000 Makers of Sugar and Syrup in the 

 Dominion, Holding 1000 Square Miles 



The possible money value to 

 Canada of the maple industry is far 

 greater than is generally supposed. 

 There are at present no less than 

 55,000 makers of maple sugar and 

 syrup in the Dominion. Allowing a 

 ten-acre bush to each farmer would 

 mean that 550,000 acres, or about 1,- 

 000 square miles, are being reserved 

 in their natural wooded state, a most 

 important matter for the conserva- 

 tion of our springs and rivulets. In 

 this large area, no less than two- 

 thirds is situated in the province of 

 Quebec. There are a few sugar 

 bushes in Ontario and a negligible 

 number in the Maritime Provinces. 

 For some inexplicable reason it has 

 never been realized that we have in 

 Canada millions of acres of maple 

 bush running from the north of 

 Lake Superior to the shores of New 

 Brunswick and Nova Scotia, all 

 standing in their primeval condition, 

 waiting only to be tapped to yield to 

 the world its remarkable wealth. 

 When it is remembered that it is 

 only in the border states of New 

 Hampshire, Vermont and Maine 

 that the sugar maple grows within 

 the United States, and that with this 

 exception, we in Canada possess the 

 whole world's supply, the great im- 

 portance of the industry will be re- 

 alized. 



Two Millions Worth. 



It is estimated, says the Montreal 

 Journal of Commerce, that in 1915 

 Canada produced two million dol- 

 lars worth of maple syrup and 

 sugar. In 1911 the output in the 

 Province of Quebec was valued at 

 $1,680,000. a sum 14 per cent greater 

 than the production of our small 

 fruits ; considerably greater in value 

 than the sheep sold, almost equal 

 to the sale of our poultry, exceeding 



that of our whole output of cream, 

 and six times the money obtained 

 from honey and wax. These com- 

 parisons serve to show the relative 

 importance of our maple industry, 

 the possibilities of which are too 

 great to estimate, if the immense 

 woods of Ontario and the Lower 

 Provinces were cultivated as they 

 should be. 



A peculiarity of the situation is 

 that there is practically no demand 

 outside of North America for this 

 commodity ,and for no other reason 

 than that no effort has been made 

 to make it known to the countries 

 beyond the seas. Needless to say, 

 once the exquisite flavor has been 

 discovered by the millions abroad, 

 there will be no lack of demand for 

 this essentially Canadian product. 



U. S. Takes All Export. 



At the present moment our chief 

 export market is in the United 

 States. During the five years from 

 1908-1912, 99 per cent of our ex- 

 ported maple sugar went to the Re- 

 public and 50 per cent of the syrup. 

 During these five years we exported 

 altogether 8,685,000 lbs. of sugar 

 and 20.000 gallons of maple syrup, 

 a mere bagatelle in comparison with 

 our capabilities. In May of this 

 year the United States will remove 

 their customs duties upon both our 

 maple products, thereby opening up 

 to us a market that without exag- 

 geration may be termed unlimited, 

 for at the present rate of production 

 we could not possiblv supplv the de- 

 mand of 100,000,000'people." 



On April 15. 1915, after our last 

 yield of sugar had been gathered in, 

 an Act was passed at Ottawa to 

 amend the Adulteration Act. This 

 is a simple statement and gives but 

 little idea of the struggle and con- 



