CHAPTER XI 
THE MOST INTERESTING FOREST PRODUCTS 
PrERHAPS the story of the forest as told thus far has 
appeared tedious and the tale of how tall trees are 
turned into lumber has become tiresome. However, there 
are other products of the forest, the story of whose man- 
ufacture will be of great interest, for the forest fur- 
nishes many other things for our use which have not yet 
been mentioned. 
Maple Syrup and Maple Sugar.—Perhaps the most in- 
teresting forest product to the average young person 
or even grown-up with a sweet tooth, is maple syrup 
which is made by boiling down the sap of the hard or 
sugar maple until the sweet syrupy liquid is obtained. 
Maple sugar is made by the same process, but the sap 
is boiled a longer time until the sugar crystallizes. The 
manufacture of maple syrup and sugar is quite an im- 
portant industry in the States where the sugar maple 
is common and the “sugar bush,” as the grove of maples 
which furnishes the sweet sap is called, is a busy place 
during early.spring. At present Vermont, New Hamp- 
shire and northern New York furnish large quantities 
of sugar products, and may be considered the centers 
of production in this country. 
The management of a sugar bush is quite different 
from that applied to an ordinary woodlot. Where timber 
is desired, the crowns are kept small and the growth 
of tall trunks is encouraged. Where large quantities of 
sap are desired large spreading crowns are allowed to 
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