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AMER1C3AN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Febrttart, 
About Advertising and Advertisements. 
Some Mints to Business Miit, to Contemporaries, 
and to Onr Jtmilers. 
A man may have good and useful things to 
sell, but of what benefit will they be to himself 
or others, if lie only knows of it? It is a duty to 
himself to advertise his wares in some way, and 
if they are specially useful to the public, it is 
his positive duty to advertise them as widely as 
possible. In illustration, take the history of 
this journal. It was one of the first good 
papers of its class isssued, and had it gone into 
every family in the land, it would have aw.akened 
thought and experiment, and have benefited 
the country untold millions. Yet for ten years, 
comparatively few thousands knew of its exist- 
ence, or that it would be beneficial to them, 
and its influence was therefore limited. A 
few years ago the Publisher concluded that if 
patent medicine men could thrive by boldly 
advertising nostrums, then something really 
worthy of public regard .should succeed by the 
same means. He therefore began to advertise 
largely in other journals, and by handbills, post- 
ers, etc. To enlist others in introducing the 
paper, desirable premiums of good kinds were 
offered. By these various efforts, together with 
the fact that the journal itself has been maintain- 
ed and increased in excellence, it has secured 
a far larger circle of readers than any other 
similar journal. Is it too much to claim that 
this has been a public benefit, as well as to the 
advantage of the proprietor ? Tlie millions of 
copies of this paper, sown broadcast over the 
land, have without doubt done much to aw.aken 
interest and promote improvements, and thou- 
sands have actually thanked the publisher for 
leading and almost compelling them to read, 
and to think about their own calling. Thus our 
double object is gained ; we advertise, offer pre- 
miums, etc., " to do good and make money." 
In further illustration of the desirableness of 
advertising, take the case of a good nurseryman 
— one who starts with the determination to do a 
straightforward, honest business. It may cost 
him $10,000 a year to keep up his establishment, 
and he may sell just enough to meet expenses. 
If he had customers he could produce and sell 
$10,000 worth more of trees without increasing 
his annual expenses by $3,000. Would it not 
pay to spend |2,000 or $3,000, or nrore even, in 
making his business widely known ? There are 
plenty of people already interested in horticul- 
ture who would like to know all about his 
stock; others would be led to think about trees 
and then buy them, if our good nurserymen 
would advertise so strongly as to compel atten- 
tion. An honest nurseryman should above all 
others advertise so largely as to get the start of 
dishonest dealers. So with seedsmen, and almost 
every other class of respectable business men. 
In these remarks we have no " ax to 
grind". All our available space for advertising 
is taken up early, frequently overcrowding the 
reading matter more than we desire. This 
would not be permitted were not the advertise- 
ments valuable to our readers. As it is, we are 
compelled to shut out many for want of room. 
And now a word to some of our contempora- 
ries. If they would only exclude worthless ad- 
vertisements, good dealers would more readily 
patronize their columns — those who dislike 
to appear among quactks, " gift enterprise men," 
etc. Some say they can not live without taking 
such advertisements. Better die at once theti^ 
than live as the agent of such parties. Others 
say they can not decide between the good and 
the bad. If an editor can not, with all his 
means of information, it is hard for his readers. 
But it is not difBcult. The editor in charge of 
our advertising department is instructed to ad- 
mit no person whom he would not be willing to 
patronize, if wanting the articles advertised. By 
scrupulous care in this respect, this department 
of the paper has come to be relied on by the read- 
ers almost as much as the reading columns. And 
in this matter honesty has proved the best pol- 
icy. To our agreeable surprise, what we thought 
at first would be a sacrifice, when refusing 
advertisements which could pay us best, has 
really jiroved the most profitable course, for 
reasons already set forth. 
A word more to the readers. At the urgent 
request of customers we have omitted some 
reading matter, to make room for business no- 
tices. But perhaps the space is best filled thus. 
By this means a great 'variety store' is brought 
to the door of each reader, from which he can 
select what he desires, and easily procure it by 
sending according to directions given. Adver- 
tisers are alwa3's gratified to know where their 
advertisement were noticed, and readers will 
confer a double flavor by always mentioning the 
name of the paper that gave them the informa- 
tion when addressing parties for circulars, or 
sending in orders. 
SAP BOILER. 
Maple Sugar Making. 
In answer to a request last month from prac- 
tical sugar makers, W. B. Wentworth, Allegany 
Co., N. y., writes to the American Agriculturist 
as follows : " I make from 1,400 to 3,000 pounds 
of maple sugar per year, according to the flow 
of sap. First, for spouts: I think the sumach 
best, the pith of which can easily be burned out 
with a piece of wire of proper size. Tlie spouts 
are then sharpened to fit a i inch hole. I bore 
the trees with a i inch bit (a little smaller will 
answer as well), and put two spouts in a tree, 
unless the tree is quite small. When the holes 
become dry, I ream out the holes with a pod bit 
a little larger than the first, and the sap will 
often tlow as freely as at first. The sap is 
gathered and boiled in sheet iron evaporators, 
the best of which I think are made of two sheets 
riveted lengthwise, and one across the end. 
This is turned up six inches, and if made of good 
iron, with a i inch wire put in around the top, 
or a strip of band iron 1 inch wide and J thick 
riveted around in place of the wire, it will need 
no other support. Bars of iron should not be put 
under the pan, as they would cause it to burn out 
much sooner. An evaporator made in this way, 
of good material and well taken care of, will 
last fifteen years. The syrup should be boiled 
until it will break in scales from a sheet iron 
dipper. Then strain through flannel into a tub 
largest at the bottom, and let stand a few hours 
to settle. Milk may be used to clarify the syrup 
when sugared off. The milk should be put in 
when the syrup is cool, and thoroughly mixed 
with it. A good vessel to finish off sugar in, is 
made also of sheet iron, about 2i feet long, 14 
inches wide on the bottom, and 1 foot high— a 
little larger at the top— with wire put in to 
strengthen it, and handles on the ends. 
"A very nice way to prepare the sugar for 
market is to run it in moulds made in boards of 
of cherry (which I think best), or good pine will 
do. They are made with a tapering center-bit, 
which makes them 1 j inches on the bottom and 
enough larger at the top to make them come 
out readily, and nearlj' one inch deep. It should 
take.ibout twenty such cakes to weigh a pound. 
Pour hot water over the boards, and then let 
them get nearly dry. The sugar should be done 
quite dry, and then stirred until it is just cool 
enough enough to run smoothly. Let it stand 
in the moulds until nearly cold, then turn them 
over and rap on the board, and they will come 
out nicely, and can be packed in boxes for mar- 
ket. Saleratus and candle boxes for pocking in 
can usually be bought at the stores and grocer- 
ies cheaper than new boxes can be made." 
A Sap Boiler.— Joel Page, Windham Co., 
Vt., in a long and interesting letter, for which 
we have not room, sends a description of an ar- 
rangement for boiling down sap, which he says 
is much used and liked in that vicinity. The 
engraving gives a side view. C, D is an " arch " or 
walls of brick work. C is open within to re- 
ceive the fire, and I) is solid, except a flue at the 
top (F), to allow the smoke to pass to the chim- 
ney, R Cast iron bars are placed lengthwise of 
C, a few inches from the ground, for the wood 
to lie upon. The fire box, C, is opened and 
closed by an iron door in front, not shown in 
the engraving. A sheet iron pan, A, of 65 to 75 
gallons capiicity, is set with the bottom about 
two inches below the top of C. A second sheet 
iron pan, B, of like capacity, is set on the part 
I) ; and back of this, next to the chimney, E, is a 
heater, II, holding 15 or 20 gallons, i?" rests in 
the opening of an iron plate made for the pm'- 
pose, just as a boiler is set in a cook stove. 
Faucets in ffana iJ allow the hot and partially 
reduced sap to pass into A, where the boiling 
is finished. The flow may be regulated so that 
a stnall, constant stream will just supply the loss 
from evaporation. The mason work of the arch 
should be carefully put up to support the weight 
of the pans, and also to ensure a strong draft 
through the flue. The best situation to place 
such an apparatus is on a hill-side, where the 
top of the arch may be 7 or 8 feet below the 
store tubs which receive the sap as it is brought 
from the trees. One of these properly placed 
m.ay be furnished with a faucet, through which 
a regulated and continued stream may be dis- 
charged into the heater. The whole should be 
properly protected from the weather. Such an 
arrangement will answer equally well for boil- 
ing sorghum syrup. Mr. Page s.iys that cast- 
iron pans require less continued watching to 
prevent their being spoiled by burning, but sheet 
iron are the best evaporators. The above ar- 
rangement is greatly superior to the old-fash- 
ioned, huge, open kettles, slung on a stick 
supported by crotches, which were formerly 
used ; probably, however, some of the evapor- 
ating pans introduced for sorghum boiling are 
better yet. Those wh > engage largely in the 
business of sugar making will find it convenient 
to study the various plans offered, and adopt 
the one best suited to their circumstances. — At 
the present and prospective prices of sweeten- 
ing, it is worth while to provide in season for 
producing all the maple sugar possible. 
