Plastic Tubing in the Maple Syrup Industry

The Vermont Historical Society’s journal Vermont History recently published an article I wrote on the origins of plastic tubing for making maple syrup. Specifically titled, “From Pails to Pipelines: The Origins and Early Adoption of Plastic Tubing in the Maple Syrup Industry,” the article examines the evolution of pipeline and tubing technology for gathering and moving maple sap with special attention to the relationship and interplay of the three men who carried plastic tubing from idea and experiment to commercial reality. The article appears in Volume 89, Number 1, Winter/Spring 2021 and is sent to all members of the Vermont Historical Society.

Unfortunately, since this is the current issue of the Vermont History and is hot off the presses, I am not permitted to share an electronic copy of the article for 6 months. But anyone can join the Vermont Historical Society and get the paper journal mailed to their door as well as online access to all their current and past journals (including this issue), all the while supporting the preservation and sharing of Vermont history.

This fall I will post a PDF copy of this article on this blog, so check back in September to get a copy.

ABOUT

This site presents ideas, current research, and new sources of information related to the history of the production and use of maple syrup and maple sugar in North America. The purpose of this site is not to be the definitive account tracing the history of maple syrup and sugar, or telling the maple story, although at times it will share old and new contributions to maple history. Rather, the focus is on the study and doing of maple syrup related history. The site will primarily feature topics and research of interest to the site’s creator, but on occassion the site may feature guest contributors.

This site is not the place to find answers to questions like “how do you make maple syrup”? It is assumed that if the reader was able to successfully use the internet to find this site they can also use it to answer their other maple syrup related questions.

Readers are encouraged to submit maple history related questions through the contact form below or by email to maplesyruphistory@gmail.com

SITE CREATOR

This site is the creation and work of Matthew Thomas, an independent researcher with a wide range of interests in all things maple. With an academic background in American Indian studies, anthropology, archaeology, and geography, including a Doctorate from the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Matthew has been researching and writing about the history of maple syrup and sugar for the past twenty years. Matthew can be reached by the contact form above.

Share this:

Related