July, 1911.] 



37 



Edible Products. 



sap will run very little. It will not 

 run freely on a dull, cloudy day. If the 

 day is perfect and the conditions which 

 we have mentioned above prevail, the 

 sap will run not only drop by drop, but 

 almost in a steady stream from many of 

 the trees. Under these conditions it is 

 necessary to collect the sap at noon and 

 again along towards night. In a grove 

 of trees where the maples stand near 

 together, sometimes long spout or pipe 

 lines as they might be described, are 

 arranged on forked sticks or fastened 

 from tree to tree leading from certain 

 points in the grove to a vat iu the sugar 

 house. The sap is collected and poured 

 into spouts or pipe lines, which greatly 

 facilitates the collection of it. The 

 sap is also collected in barrels and 

 hauled to the sugar house on horse or 

 ox sleds. 



There is no more interesting or fascin- 

 ating season in northern New England 

 than the season of maple sugar making 



In recent years the industry has 

 become such a leading one that the 

 manufacturing of maple products is 

 carried on with the greatest intelligence 

 and scientific knowledge. There are 

 certain standards that have been 

 adopted, and that are generally recog- 

 nized in the business, and there are 

 certain conditions and rules regulating 

 the business ami the marketing of the 

 product. Vermont has enacted wise 

 laws applying to the f urity of maple 

 products, and the centre of inspiration 

 of everything applying to the maple 

 sugar business, from the tree to the 

 store and the city commission merchant, 

 everything which tends to preserve 

 the industry with all its high reputa- 

 tion in Vermont, is the Vermont Maple 

 Sug ar exchange. 



Maple sugar sold in the Boston market 

 has a guarantee of purity, and the 

 only reason worth considering for the 

 difference in price is a slight difference 

 in quality and colour. The finest grades 

 are in cakes and come packed in neat 

 cartons. The lower grades of soft sugar 

 are shipped in kegs. Syrup is shipped 

 in tightly sealed screw-top tin cans or 

 cases. 



We conclude this narrative by allud- 

 ing to a favourite pastime or entertain- 

 ment during the maple sugar season 

 which may not be familiar to ex erybody. 

 It is known as sugaring off, and is very 

 much in vogue in Vermont, New Hamp- 

 shire, and in Boston by the New Hamp- 

 shire and Vermont associations. But 

 as practised in the city it is a tame 

 and a make-shift affair at best. We 

 have in mind one celebrated hotel in 



New Hampshire which is both a summer 

 and a winter resort. It is about as well- 

 filled with guests in the winter as it is 

 in the summer, and at both seasons 

 people are constantly turned away. In 

 the winter, beside the crisp, health- 

 giving and healing air, it offers as 

 inducements its/ open wood fires and 

 sugaring off parties. Sugaring off 

 parties begin in this wise: Maple syrup 

 which has been boiled down almost to 

 the point of crystallization, just before 

 it passes from sugar to syrup, is placed 

 over the fire, J.ust at this period 

 the process is very interesting and very 

 fascinating to those who have the 

 privilege of participating in it. In the 

 great kitchen of this hotel blocks of 

 snow are placed on long tables, and 

 from time to time the hot, thick syrup 

 is taken from the kettle and poured upon 

 the snow. It is quickly cooled, and at 

 first changes to soft wax. This is a very 

 delicious form of confection, and of 

 course the flavour is incomparable. After 

 a little time more syrup is dipped from 

 the kettle, and this time perhaps on 

 cooling it is a little harder. Again, the 

 process is repeated, and after cooling 

 the product is found to be a soft sugar 

 just at the stage of crystalization, but 

 yet scarcely beyond the syrup stage, 

 and so the dipping and cooling goes on 

 unt* the syrup has become real sugar, 

 and until the company are satisfied, or 

 until the supply gives out. 



VANILLA CROPS, 1910-11. 



(From the Chemist and Druggist, No. 



1,638, Vol. LXXVIIL, June 17, 1911.) 



Mr Herman Mayor Senior has issued 

 his annual vanilla statistics, showing 

 that the world's production for the sea- 

 son 1910-11 amounted to 570 tons. The 

 characteristic feature of the vanilla 

 market during the past twelve months 

 has been an unusual evenness of 

 strength throughout which culminated 

 last February in a basis of 13s. 6d. per 

 lb. for sound low-grade Bourbon or Sey- 

 chelles varieties in the primary market, 

 and this figure has been fully main- 

 tained since, with better qualities at cor- 

 respondingly higher rates. Short crops 

 iu the 1909-10 season, with practically no 

 stocks taken into the new, have in a 

 natural way caused this firming up, and 

 so eager has the American inquiry for 

 Bourbon sorts been, that for the first 

 time in all experience their value tem- 

 porarily surpassed that of Mexican. 

 The latter have since advanced as well, 

 and meet with an increasing European 

 demand, chiefly on the part of France, 



