MAPLE SYRUP AND SUGAR 



387 



and died. The following table shows the number of taps that should 

 be used, depending upon the size of the tree : 



Some prominent owners of large sugar groves advocate the tapping 

 of only one hole in each tree during a season. 



Tapping should be done in the thrifty part of the tree where the bark 

 looks best. It is commonly done on the southern side of the tree because 

 that side warms up the earliest in the season and the first sap flow is 

 considered best, but experiments show that under average weather condi- 

 tions, the flow of sap is equal on all sides. It is always advisable to avoid 

 tapping near an old tap scar. 



Two men working together will tap and hang about 400 to 500 buck- 

 ets per day working from eight to nine hours per day. The cost, there- 

 fore, of the distribution of buckets and of tapping is about i cent per 

 bucket. 



There are at least twelve different kinds of metal sap spouts or spiles 

 on the market. They cost from $2.00 to $3.00 per hundred and for 

 each particular brand there are special advantages claimed. They 

 have displaced the old sumach or alder or half round wooden spiles 

 except on the smallest and most inaccessible orchards. 



The general principles involved in the selection of a satisfactory spout 

 may be summarized as follows: 



1. It must provide for an easy and maximum flow of sap. 



2. It must hold firmly in the tree and not only support the bucket 

 and cover but it must be attached and removed easily and the bucket 

 must be held in such a position that it may be emptied without unhooking 

 it from spout. Buckets should never be hung from a nail. 



3. It should be placed in the hole in a level position and must not be 

 driven in deep enough to split either bark or wood, and yet it must pre- 

 vent leakage. 



4. It should exclude the air and prevent drying out at the end of 

 the first run of sap. 



5. It must be inserted in and withdrawn from the tap hole with the 

 least difficulty. 



