Thursday, February 13, 1975
Ten below zero at Seneca State Forest Monday morning.
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The You Said It section of the February issue of TODAY, the United Methodist magazine, contains a brief article by Mrs. Richard (Harriet J.) Ottaviano, of Webster, New York. It is an inspiring account of the success of the West Africa famine relief program in the Webster United Methodist Church, where she is a member of the Social Concerns Commission.
Mrs. Ottaviano is the former Harriet Johnson, daughter, of Mr. and Mrs. J. Z. Johnson, of Marlinton.
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The time of year has arrived to get out the buckets and spiles and get the old evaporator ready. With the coming of warm days and cold nights, sap will start to flow in the sugar maples. Some spare time could be used to turn a good profit by producing maple syrup.
Pocahontas County has many old sugar camps scattered around. Most of them have not been used for years. The potential is here for a profitable wintertime industry, especially with the increased price of cane sugar. Many of these sugar camps could be put back into production by the owner or leased to a neighbor. There is also the possibility of leasing sugar camps that are located on public land. Maple syrup made in Pocahontas County can be just as good as Vermont Maple Syrup. Pocahontas syrup was sold for many years to Vermont dealers.
All of the maples commonly found in West Virginia can be tapped for sap collection; however, the Sugar Maple and the Black Maple are the most satisfactory for syrup production. Healthy trees of 10 inches or more in diameter can be tapped, using one tap for 10- or 15-inch trees, two taps for 16-to-20-inch trees, three taps for 21 to 25 inch trees, and not more than four taps for larger trees.
In addition to maple syrup, there are many other products that can be made from the sap of a maple tree – maple sugar cakes, crumb sugar, confections such as maple cream, which is the consistency of peanut butter, and maple taffy.
An individual tap may produce 10 to 12 gallons of sap over an average season. With an average concentration of two percent sugar, 43 gallons of sap would be required for each gallon of syrup to be produced. Taps should be made early in February and the best runs usually occur in March.
DEATHS
Mrs. Goldie Alderman Lee, 83, died at her home on Beaver Creek. She was a daughter of the late Noah and Alcinda Pyles Alderman. Funeral service was held in the VanReenen Funeral Home Chapel with burial in Mountain View Cemetery.
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John Mitchel Matheny, 92, of Greenbank, died in the Denmar State Hospital. He was a son of the late John Mitchel and Altha Gardner Matheny. Funeral service from the VanReenen Funeral Home Chapel with burial in Mountain View Cemetery.
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Noble T. Fisher, 65, of Green Bank, a retired circulation manager for Charleston Newspapers, veteran of World War II and Cass Scenic Railroad employee. Funeral service was held in the St. Andrews United Methodist Church in St. Albans, Rev. David Rittenhouse officiating. Burial was in Cunningham Memorial Park.
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Mrs. Rusha Ida Meadows, of Rio, born on Beaver Creek, a daughter of the late William and Phoebe J. Alderman. Funeral service from the McKee Funeral Home with burial in Rio Cemetery.
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Mrs. Plummie Ora Hill, 82, of Caldwell; born at Droop, a daughter of the late George and Rebecca McCarty. Funeral service from the Woodlawn Presbyterian Church at Auto with burial in the church cemetery.