3. Organization of maple water collection systems

3.1 Collection with boilers

Traditionally, artisanal harvesting, which is still practiced today on small farms, was used exclusively until the 1960s. It uses a flashlight planted in the trunk to which is attached an aluminum container, the boiler, fitted with a protective lid, into which the maple water drips by gravity (figure 2 ). This device allows the contents to be emptied daily by tilting the assembly without opening the lid or unhooking the boiler. In the past, this collection was carried out manually, with the help of a horse pulling a wooden sled on which a wooden barrel was placed...