Maple Sugar

Speaking oí maple sugar brings to mind the fact that there is no product of the farm concerning which there is greater Ignorance on the part of consuméis than maple sngar and sirup. It seems to be almost the universal opinión that maple sirup to be genuine must be dark in color and of a thick, heavy body. I have carefully studied this matter, and I am convinced that dealers in large towns and cities are largely responsible for this. Maple sirup is one of the easiest things to "doctor." For instance, a gallon of strictly pure, light colored rnaple sirup is received, and foreign snbstances, as cane sugar or glucose, are added and three gallons made, and all are branded "pure maple sirup. " Some years ago I stepped into a grccery store in the city of Denver aud inquired if they had any genuiue maple sirup. "Oh, yes" - and I was shovvn cans branded "pure Vermont maplt) sirnp. " I asked the grocer if he would kindly let rufl taste a sample. He did so, and as I looked up I suspect he began to "smell mice" and asked if I was a manufacturer of the article. I said, "Yes, and I ship it every spring to your city." Seeing he was fairly caught, he said: "The fact is I cannot fooi you, I see. Thia sirup of ours was probably made in Chicago." Last spring I sent a gallon by request to a pastor of a church in Brooklyn who in his boyhood days used to live on a farm in Chenango county and knew what real maple sirup was. We sent him a gallon of early make, of a light amber shade, and at once received word that the sirup was entirely ahead of any he bad ever seen, and that it was an utter impossibility to procure such in the city. Why is it impossible? I know fine sirup is made and shipped. The fact is, as I said before, the consnmer is not allowed to taste that fine, light colored, genninely pure article, for once he gets a taste of it the trade for the bogus article is gone. A few days ago a friend told me he sent a pound of fine sugar, made by one of our farmers, to his mother in Baltiruore. The cake weighed 18 ounces, and as it went by mail it cost him 18 cents postage. The letter carrier who delivered it said it must be something valuable to pay so niuch postage. The lady said she could guess what it was. It was a cake of maple sugar her boy had sent her from New York. As the carrier liyed close by the lady told him to come in during the evening and sbe would show him something good. He did so, but the moment he saw it he said: "You can't fooi me. That isn't maple sugar. Maple sugar is always black. " She chopped off a corner and told him to sample it. He declared he had never seen maple sngar before and wanted the lady to write and order him 100 pounds. The sugar was shipped, cash received, and one man learned that maple sugar, in order to be genuine, need not be black as a Btovepipe. -