"Sugar Bush" Outing to Mohonk Lake 

 March 10-12, 1939 



This trip was planned to give an opportunity to see a little 

 known but economically important plant industry — the making 

 of maple syrup and sugar. On the practical side, we saw some- 

 thing of the general procedure involved in obtaining and pro- 

 cessing maple sap. Fundamentally, this is the same regardless 

 of the equipment used. However, the leader's main objective 

 was to try to give the members an opportunity to sense for 

 themselves the uncanny fascination of doing it when old- 

 fashioned methods are used. 



Those arriving Friday evening were able to enjoy skating 

 on the lake with flood lights and music. The balance of the 

 group (total of 27) arrived Saturday morning in time to join 

 in the coasting and tobogganing — the whole mountain being 

 covered with a hard crust. 



After dinner it started to snow gently just as we set out. 

 The route led through Glen Anna where the snow silently sifting 

 through the branches of the great hemlocks left an unforgettable 

 impression. On arrival at the "sugar bush," which term might 

 be translated as orchard when applied to a grove of sugar maple 

 trees, we found two of the school boys in full charge. 



This particular bush covers about an acre on a steep slope 

 with a northwest exposure. About 30 trees (over 12 inches in 

 diameter) had been tapped. The "tapping" is done with a brace 

 and bit and consists of boring a hole about one-half inch in 

 diameter into the tree an inch and a half. The hole is usually 

 about four feet from the ground. 



Into this hole is lightly driven a "spile." This may consist 

 of a neatly formed piece of sheet metal with various patented 

 features or a piece of green sumach which has been transformed 

 by a few minutes of jack-knife work and a red hot wire to remove 

 the pith. In either case a wire hook is usually provided on which 

 to hang a pail, which is usually a tinned or galvanized one with 

 about 12 quart capacity. In olden times keelers (wooden buck- 

 ets) were used. 



The process of converting maple sap to syrup is merely a 

 matter of boiling away water until the right proportion of solids 



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