February Journal THE COUNTDOWN!!!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I spent the afternoon running some laterals. The end forks I bought today(DGYEF from Leader) are supposed to have one side with a hole through the barbs so you can add a double tap if the end tree is big enough but these look like there is a hole there but if you check by blowing on the end it doesn't go all the way through. I'll have to check when I'm tapping to make sure I don't have any taps dead ended. P.I.T.A. Now I'm guessing as to weather the ones I was using before are all right. Quess I'll have to check all double tap end trees. Not a big number in my case but I've got enough left to do and what about someone that just ran out a new thousand taps or so.

Those are made by D&G I believe and I use them and Lapierre and have never seen any that had a hole except in the center. I love these things and use them on all my lines where I bring lateral into the mainline.

[Farmboy]

I sweetened the pans on my half pint today. I am goig to set up a 3X5 pan on a block arch outside to help with bigsap. I hope to get my neibors trees tapped tommorow or sunday.

[wally]

tapped today in west-central nh. running decent, and the forecast appears favorable for a week or so.

[farmall h]

Dropped some more $ on mainline tubing, 5/16 tubing , gonna set up the last 250 or so this weekend. Should be at the golden 1200 taps. Been checking all the lines for damage. Preliminary "leak" check. Real easy getting around in the woods. Maybe 10" snow max. Should be tapping 1st week of march.

[Father & Son]

The small piece of woods I'm tubing this year is almost done. The mainline and laterals are all in place. Some of the drops are installed about 50 or 60 to go. Still have to set the tank and install the pump line. Two handed tubing tools are just the ticket. Makes installing the drops real easy.

Jim

[3rdgen.maple]

I think it is official my dad has lost his marbles. He was bored yesterday and asked what he could do to help. After rattling of a short list he decided he did not want to do any of that so he said he would get the tractor out and plow the paths on the sugar bushes. Now let me remind you guys I have 3 seperate ones that I am tapping and the path to the new one I have marked it and drove the tractor through it all winter so it is easy to see. Well he spent the whole day friday plowing out tractor paths and not one of the paths in the sugarbushes. He called this morning and was all proud until I asked why did you plow every path but the ones you were suppose too. Im getting a little worried about leaving him alone to run the evaporator. Last year I just caught him from burning up a pan when I got home. Year before he did burn one up. Im getting a little nervous.

[farmall h]

3rdgen.maple, oh what you described sounds all too familiar.

[wally]

finished the "upper" bush today. total for the two about 250 taps. running decent for mid/late february in central nh.

might have to boil by tuesday.

[vtsnowedin]

Those are made by D&G I believe and I use them and Lapierre and have never seen any that had a hole except in the center. I love these things and use them on all my lines where I bring lateral into the mainline.

I have two types on hand. One is quite narrow and has two solid barbs for the loop around the tree but has no plug for the last tap. The others are D&G as you say and have the left barb solid and the right with a hole that goes almost but not all the way through. If you don't want it to go through why mold in any hole at all?

[PARKER MAPLE]

well help on my grandfarthers lots today. me and 5 others. man it went slow seams like everytime you touched this old stuff it broke. so we tapped and repaired and tapped some more. i think we got apprx 500 or so done and ready, but cant see the light at the end of the tunnel yet. 1200 more to go.
i really hope it goes fast then the first 500 did. anyways couldnt pick a better day to be outside that sun sure ways nice. and sap was running a little not hard by any means.