1864 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
43 
The sap of the Sugar or Rock Maple when it 
first flows in the spring, is to appearance nearly 
as clear and liquid as pure water, and in reality 
it contains scarcely anything but cane sugar. 
The sugar is more easily obtained in a market¬ 
able state than from the juices of any other 
plant yielding sugar for commerce. If the sap 
be pure and clear as it flows from the tree, it is 
only necessary to boil it down in clean vessels, 
taking care not to burn it, and when sufficiently 
concentrated, to preserve it as molasses, or after 
boiling more, to pour it into moulds. It is so 
easily and cheaply produced that sugar makers 
have been very careless about it, using utensils 
of the rudest character. The amount of un- 
crystallizable sugar or molasses necessarily pro¬ 
duced is very small, but as the molasses is quite 
as much valued as sugar in most markets, this 
has led to some neglect of the sap, and deterio¬ 
rated the character of both sugar and molasses. 
Let the first fact stated above, be fixed in the 
mind, viz., that pure sap yields nearly pure sugar, 
and that the coloring, the quality, and much of 
the labor of sugar making, result from foreign 
substances that get into the sap while in the 
troughs, etc. Remember further, that in the 
absence of these foreign materials the amount 
of crystallized sugar obtained will be much 
greater. We see then, the importance of secur¬ 
ing the greatest possible cleanliness, in every 
thing connected with collecting and manufac¬ 
turing the sap. Exposure to the air produces 
fermentation, and diminishes the crystallized 
sugar rapidly; therefore, covered vessels, and 
boiling as fast as the sap flows, are important. 
Fermentation of the sap also injures the pecu¬ 
liar “ maple flavor” which is so greatly relished. 
The quality of the sap, that is the amount of 
sugar to the barrel of sap, varies considerably 
from year to year, but we know of no accurate 
experiments touching it, nor to determine the 
character of other substances present in the sap. 
The wooden sap troughs and potash kettles 
are still in use in some parts of the country, but 
enterprising sugar makers use wooden buckets 
which are preferable to tin, and flat evaporating 
pans, and. the sugar is much improved. The 
sap is sometimes conducted to the sugar house 
in “ leaders ” or small wooden troughs, which 
would be improved by scalding them out once 
a day to prevent souring. In like manner the 
buckets ought to be scalded occasionally. The 
trees are tapped with half-inch augurs, and the 
hole enlarged with a sixteenth of an inch larger 
bit, Defore the close of the flowing season. 
The sap spouts are 6 or 8 inches in length, 1 
inch square, or turned round having a 4 inch 
hole bored through them. 
The ends are tapered off, and 
they are driven into the 
holes of the trees so as to 
barely hold. If tubs are used 
to collect the sap, there 
should be holes of‘about 
10 inches square cut to pour 
in the sap, and over them 
linen towels should be laid, 
to strain out sticks, leaves, 
etc., if the arrangements of 
the buckets, etc., are not so 
perfect as to exclude all 
filth, as is desirable. After 
this, the sap must be kept 
covered. The storing tubs 
should stand on higher 
ground than the boiling pan, 
so that the sap will flow from one to the other. 
During the boiling, skim as often as scum 
rises. It is seldom that much skimming is 
necessary. When the cooled syrup is nearly 
as thick as good molasses, draw it off into a 
tub to settle, straining through a flannel strainer. 
Here any sediment will be deposited. After the 
syrup has settled clear, draw it off, and boil it 
down again until it is thick enough to sugar off. 
When the sugar is to be “ caked ” or “ stirred,” 
it must be boiled until a spoonful of it put upon 
snow will be perfectly brittle when cold. The 
liquid sugar is taken from the fire and when 
granulation has commenced, and the mass is 
thickened considerably, fill the moulds rapidly. 
If it is to be stirred, at the same time commence 
stirring, the kettle being held firmly, and stir 
the mass till it has the appearance of dry brown 
sugar of the shops. When the sugar is to be 
drained it is usually taken from the fire before it 
would cool brittle, and after standing until it 
granulates quite thoroughly, it is ladled out in¬ 
to tubs with false bottoms, some 5 inches above 
the true, 3 or 4 holes being in the false bottom, 
and covered by saucers or plugged by round 
smooth sticks. The sugar is ladled into the 
tubs, and when settled the plugs are loosened 
and partly withdrawn, so tliat the molasses will 
run through. This may be drawn off from 
the bottom of the tubs. 
-- -- -•«>— - - - 
A Productive Farm. 
A. C. Fulton, residing near Davenport, Iowa, 
writes to the Prairie Farmer, that his gross re¬ 
ceipts from 62 acres of land last year amounted 
to $10,111. The net profit was $7,905 after 
deducting $3 per acre for interest or rent of 
land—besides cost of seed, labor, and all other 
expenses. This gives the extraordinary sum of 
a little over $127 per acre. The farm is on first 
quality of rolling prairie land broken up in 
July 1862, at a cost of $2,50 per acre. A large 
portion of it was replowed before seeding. 
Twenty acres were put in wheat and corn, the 
balance in onions, potatoes, and sorghum. The 
larger portion was taken for onions, the seed 
being put in with a hand drill. It is hardly 
necessary to add that the land was thoroughly 
worked. There were also excellent facilities 
for marketing. Portions of the crops were sold 
at Davenport, and the balance sent by rail-road 
to Chicago. With all these advantages, the 
story looks large—not because of its impossibil¬ 
ity, but from the fact that not many farmers 
manage to bring out the full capabilities of their 
land. We do not quote this as an example that 
may be generally imitated, but it shows that 
occasionally fortunes are made in soil culture, 
as well as in other pursuits, probably oftener, 
while the chances of failure of securing a com¬ 
petency are greatly in favor of farming pursuits. 
Is Rarey’s Horse-Breaking a Failure ? 
Some of the English journals are endeavor¬ 
ing to show that Rarey’s plan of breaking and 
taming horses, has resulted in greater injury than 
benefit, and that the system is an entire failure. 
Instances are given in which colts have been ren¬ 
dered almost worthless from splints, curb, etc., 
caused by application of the strap, and handling 
according to Rarey’s instructions. Without 
doubt, such injuries could be brought on by the 
manipulations of ignorant or careless grooms, 
who had learned just enough of the “system” 
to know how to throw a horse and hold him. 
Mr. Rarey never professed to impart common 
sense to his pupils, and it shows a lack of this 
article on their part, when they conclude from 
his teachings that every colt must.be put through 
a course of knee-straps to prepare him for the 
harness or saddle. If properly trained from 
birth, scarcely one colt in a hundred will need 
any such persuasive to proper behavior. Where 
vicious habits have been contracted, Rarey’s 
plan, or some modification of it, can be success¬ 
fully employed—not by every tyro, but by a 
careful horseman—with less fear of injury to the 
animal than by any mode previously brought to 
public notice. We refer to this subject, howev¬ 
er, not so much to defend Mr. Rarey, who needs 
no advocate, as to enforce the truth that the 
vices of a horse are mostly learned in colt-liood, 
and that proper treatment during the first three 
years of his life will make him gentle, docile, 
courageous, and accomplished in all he needs 
to learn to make him useful. 
How to Dress Skins with the Fur on. 
There are many ways of preparing furs for use 
as articles of dress or ornament. A way the 
writer used successfully with small pelts, as 
those of muskrats, mink, cats, rabbits, foxes, etc., 
is as follows: After stretching and drying, scrape 
oft' all the bits of flesh and lumps of fat whieh 
may adhere, then wet thoroughly on the flesh 
side with a strong solution of salt and alum; 
fold one half upon the other with the fur out, 
and roll up or pack the skins away for a week 
or ten days. After this, the pelts are shaken 
out, each is spread with a layer of bran or saw¬ 
dust, and thus they are piled one upon another, 
or again rolled up to lie for a day or two. The 
moisture is absorbed, and after this, repeated 
vigorous rubbings and workings by the hands 
finish them. Thick skins need to be treated a 
second time with alum and salt, which is best 
applied finely pulverized and rubbed in. 
Tallow or other grease rubbed upon the un¬ 
dressed skins, softens and preserves them. On 
this principle the Indians tan skins of buffalo, 
bears and smaller animals—for the nicer opera¬ 
tions, using brains which are on this account 
very highly valued. The fur-dressers in the cities 
use rancid butter, smearing the skins with it, 
then put them into tubs, and tread and work 
them with the feet very thoroughly; after this 
sawdust is thrown in among the skins and they 
are repeatedly worked over in contact with it, 
to remove all excess of grease. Subsequent 
manipulation, rubbing the skin side with chalk 
or potter’s clay, and whipping and brushing tho 
fur, finishes them. All these operations depend 
for their success upon the thorough rubbing and 
working which the pelt must always receive. 
