January Journal

[Randy Brutkoski]

I take it you and Theron are going to test fire Pensylvania's new nuclear power plant. Hope all goes well. Arent you guys going to need Mike C's help and 2 cents down there.

[PATheron]

Mike is our tech support man. He can sure come if he wants. Sounds good Jerry. Thats about the time I get home from work. I like that, operation "operation mushroom cloud". Weve got it all plumbed up for you. Theron

[802maple]

Operatives told General Christian that he had to stay home to protect the home front.
Randy I heard you may have met my son the otherday. He works for Shelf Tech and Campbells soup company.

I take it you and Theron are going to test fire Pensylvania's new nuclear power plant. Hope all goes well. Arent you guys going to need Mike C's help and 2 cents down there.

[red maples]

Thats good you don't want all the department heads in 1 place "just in case"!!!!

[nymapleguy607]

Theron
When that thing fire up I probly will be able to hear the roar and see the smoke from horseheads. The thing will look like a pulling tractor at the fair .......... Well that explains the oil barges moving up the river

[HAHA I 1]

Sitting here watching Pawn Stars with nothing to do and thought when was the date that I tapped in last year so I pulled out my logbook.

I tap my trees 1/22/10 they ran for 1 week before the big freeze up in Feb. The BIG FREEZE lasted for about 3 weeks and I noted that I started getting sap again 2/19/10. The trees ran about 2 weeks and I pulled them 3/12/10.

So I had 4 weeks of sap flowing last year. The sap averaged about 1.25%, man that was terriable! If I included the 1 gal that I lost to the stove I made just over 5 gals! compared to the 10 gals in 2009 and they were all on buckets!

So I am thinking about the weather that we are having and how this Jan is like a real normal Jan. We have not had a single warm spell yet. And I have not had a single day that I have sat and wondered if I shouldn't be out tapping trees. So come Feb we should get our 1st warm up and I am hoping that it will be a sign of a normal year weather wise. For use down here a normal year weather wise we start getting above temps in the beginning of Feb and it sure looks like that I may just get them!!!

That same thing happened last year. We had a run in mid January that we missed, then it was cold for too long. We only had about 3 weeks of sap. Normally we can get 5 weeks. We tapped early this year (only 29 taps, though) and have 2 gallons of syrup already off of 2 small runs. We are hitting the woods this afternoon to tap another 70.

[Randy Brutkoski]

Yeah, Jerry that was me that your son talked to. Small world. I see him in Hannafords in Rutland quite often. But my question is, why is he working,he should be living off of you. Mike told me you are worth millions.

[maple flats]

I worked in the bush today, setting a new branch line. Will finish it tomorrow and then add some new laterals. Still trying to add 150 in this bush, so far I only got 100, from 400-500, more tomorrow. I see at least 25-30, might be more. I also found a few more in another section near the top of my original main, less than 100' from the line. Not sure how I missed them before. Also going to start building my sap ladders. I have a question for those who have used the 2 pipe ladder. I see the star method loops above the top line and the sap falls into the higher line, do you also make a loop and enter from the top similar to the star method or do you just suck off the lower and enter the upper at the bottom of the upper line?

[collinsmapleman2012]

been workin on a new bush at school, should put us around 5000 this year. put up main wire and side tied it, its kinda interesting working 10 ft. in a tree with a rotten wooden ladder... oh, the excitement

[ennismaple]

Also going to start building my sap ladders. I have a question for those who have used the 2 pipe ladder. I see the star method loops above the top line and the sap falls into the higher line, do you also make a loop and enter from the top similar to the star method or do you just suck off the lower and enter the upper at the bottom of the upper line?

We just enter the upper main at the bottom. It might make sense to come in form above and get a siphon effect but I haven't tried it.