FACTORS INFLUENCING QUALITY. 



101 



acid value and lead number. Also sirup made from soft and that 

 from hard maples in the same locality might show very distinct 

 differences. The few samples of soft maple sirup collected are hardly 

 sufficient to afford any basis of comparison. 



In the hilly country the opening of the season depends on the 

 exposure of the sugar bush, a southern exposure starting the sap 

 earlier than a northern one. The claim is also made that when lime- 

 stone is present in any quantity the ash of the sap is higher and the 

 " niter" more abundant. 



When the States are subdivided into localities and the samples 

 from each averaged, the same striking differences are noted as in the 



A = PERCENTAGE Of TOTAL ASH. 

 L, = BAS/C LEAD MUMBEff. 

 M = MAL/C AC/0 VALUE. 



** 



SOUTHCRHVERMOffl 



t- 



M* 1 



Tim 



&0.99 



INDIANA 



- 

 L-300 



QHl0 





WEST VA- 



H5^ V 



A - l.lO 



3 1& 

 M 



VIRGINIA 



KENTUCKY 



FIG. 5. Map showing effect of latitude on ash content, lead number, and malic-acid value of 



maple sirups. 



averages of the individual States, namely, the farther north the 

 section is the lower are the ash, the lead number, and the malic acid 

 value. There are exceptions to this, but the averages show the 

 variation noted. The results are tabulated and the data inserted 

 also on the map where the differences are more easily noted. The 

 table shows the location in the State, the names of the counties 

 comprising the section inspected, the number of samples on which 

 the averages were based and the average figures for total ash, insoluble 

 ash, basic lead number, and Cowles malic acid value, figured to the 

 dry basis. 



