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Clinton News-Record, 1987-03-25, Page 2NEW at W.G. Th�mpsoi Just in time f� TRU DRY FERT APPL 1 I 1 1 1 1 1 1 I , 1 I , 1 1 1 1 ' 1 1 1 1,,•• . , 1 1 1 1 11 1 1 1' 1 1 1 1 1 1, 1, 1 1 1 I i 1, 1 , 1 1 1 1 1, 1! 1 ' I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I 111111111 1111 1 1 1 1 1• , 1 1 I I 1 I I 1 1 , 1 • .,-i.—'. The Tru -Spread Dry Fertilizer Applicator is the most accurate dry spreading machine on the market today regardless of the formulation of fertilizier used! AT THOMPSON's. . "We're improving our services to increase your profits.. Call your nearest - branch today • Mitchell - 348-8433 Hensel) - 262-2527 Granton - 225-2360 Seofgr$h 345-2545 Port Albert - 529-7901 Ailsa Craig - 291-3223 Page 2—CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 1987 { After gathering sap early in the morning of March 23, Norman Baird (right) and Jim Elliott returned to Mr. Baird's sugar shack Township. ( David Emslie photo ) to empty the barrels of,.sap and continue the boiling process. His family has been making maple syrup for about 80 years in Stanley THIMET� THE EFFECTIVE 1 ECONOMICAL BEAN INSECTICIDE THAT WON'T WASH OFF IN THE RAIN. Don't let insects get a head start on your bean crop. Apply granular Thimet 15-G when you plant and enjoy excellent protection against Mexican bean beetles, leafhoppers, aphids, lygus hugs, thrips and mites. Thimet goes to work from the roofs on up through the entire plant, and unlike foliar sprays, won't wash away when it rains CALL ifs=l/XX1:f�-7�t.1 • Ifluff l t 1'• .11 .111 Id. 141 i 11.m,uniJ1 .It1.1dd CY.4NAMIL" ,rr Irig Ihn--,e 4.12,rit.allure• Maple syrup season keeps 80- year-old Norman Baird active By David Emslie $RUCEFIELD - When the maple sap is running, 12 to 18 hour work days are not unusual for 80 -year-old Stanley Township native, Norman Baird, Born and raised in the township, Mr. Baird has been involved in the spring ritual of making maple syrup for as lonng as he can remember. '•My grandfather made syrup here, I guess we've made syrup in this bush for 80 years," he said. The tapping of the trees starts when the spring thaw begins. Mr. Baird's son-in-law, Jim Elliott, explained the perfect conditions for tapping are when there is a bit of frost''at night, and above freezing temperatures dur- ing the day. The ideal day time temperatures are around 40 degrees Fahrenheit ( 4.4 degrees Celsius) he said. Mr. Baird uses the traditional method of tree tapping whereby a hole is drilled into a tree, a spile is placed in the hole and a bucket is used to catch the falling sap. At around 6 a.m. every morning he is out on his tractor with barrels being pulled behind to start gathering the sap from the 250 trees he has tapped. On a good day this gathering will take place twice. Approximately 300 gallons or 1,136 litres of sap are gathered daily using this method. After the gathering is completed the raw sap is taken to the sugar shack where the process is carried out to change the sap to syrup. This process is simply one of boiling the sap over a wood fire. "It's just evaporation, you get 40 gallons ( 151 litres) boiled down to make one gallon (3.8 litres) of syrup. It's a long process," Mr. Elliott noted. Mr. Baird has a system set up where as the syrup is boiled down, it is syphoned into a different pan. In this pan the change from sap to syrup is completed, and the syrup is, then strained for purity. Using this traditional method of making syrup, Mr. Baird produces anywhere from 50 to 75 gallons (189 to 284 litres) of maple syrup a year. The gathering season can last from three weeks to a month. "It's usually a month, if. it doesn't come warm too quick," Mr. Baird said. He added that this year hasn't been as good as last year, but it hasn't been bad. He explained the problem with the weather warming up too fast is the sap will run in the morning, then stop. His syrup is sold straight to the public. "Customers call every year, there is usually not enough to go around," Mr. Elliott said. However, Mr. Baird's delicacy is not limited to those in this area. "Some even goes to Saskatchewan each year," he stated. Landfill site could get expensive Municipalities making use of the Holmesville Landfill Site have been advised through the Landfill Site Committee to be prepared to pay their portion of substantial costs to be incurred at the joint landfill site. Goderich Administrator Larry McCabe advised the committee in a letter, that the 1987 preliminary budget for the Town of Goderich includes $220,000 for the operation of the site and $50,000 for studies required by the Ministry of Environment. The operating costs in 1986 were $210,000 and studies carried out cost $35,000. In 1986 a grant in excess of $20,000 was received toward the cost of the studies. However,' no grants for further studies are expected to be available. Mr. McCabe has advised participating municipalities that Goderich is separately allocating a large sum of money to reserve for their future landfilling needs. The final amount will be determined in the upcoming budget. "I write this letter on behalf of the (land- fill site 1 committee, at this time, to em- phasize that drastic expenditures will be in- curred at the Holmesville Landfill Site and that each municipality should be prepared and budget accordingly." said the letter. In a report released in December, 1986. participating municipalities were advised to expect expenditures as high as $700,000 For landfill over the next three or four years. The expected expenses include such pro- jects as leachate collection, preparing a new area at the site for landfilling and closure of the existing fill area. • New Users A recent development in the landfill situa- tion is a request from Seaforth and Tuckersmith Township to be considered for inclusion as users of the Holmesville site. Representatives of the two municipalities appeared at a February. 4 meeting of the Landfill Site Committee. to discuss this possibility. Seaforth and Tuckersmith have already spent in excess of $225,000 for necessary studies to determine a possible new landfill site of their own. However, they have not proceeded any further since the costs of developing such a site, estimated at more than $1.5 million, are prohibitive. Still unresolved, is the issue of legalizing. the use of the Holmesville site by the municipalities of Bayfield, Lucknow and Colborne Township. As it now stands, only Goderich, Goderich Township and Clinton, the three municipalities named on the original application for the site in 1972, have proper ministry authorization to use the site. Exemption A Possibility To legalize the use of the site by the municipalities not included on the original application would normally require an en- vironmental assessment. Howe,er, accor- ding to Ministry of Environment officials. because Bayfield, Lucknow and Colborne Township commenced use of the site before the Environmental Assessment Act applied to municipalities in 1980, and because the approval required at that time would have been a public hearing, it is possible an ex- emption can be obtained under Section 34 of the act. In this case, only approval under the act, with a public hearing would be re- quired. The ministry's Southwestern Regional Office has indicated it is prepared to support such a request. A meeting has been tenatively arranged. either March 30 or 31, between the commit- tee and the Environmental Assessment Branch of the ministry, as well as the En- vironmental Approvals Branch, in conjunc- tion with representatives from Seaforth and Tuckersmith. The possibility of Seaforth and Tuckersmith being included in the cer- tificate of approval. as well as the status of Bayfield, Lucknow and Colborne, will he further examined at that time. Monday euchre results CLINTON - Margaret Taylor and Vera Gibbings finished the weekly Monday after- noon euchre session with the high hands on March 23. Dorothy Wilson and Esther Moffat were the low hand winners while Agnes Carbet and Ida Godkin had the most lone hands. Euchre is held each Monday afternoon at the town hall. Featuring • NEW 900 SERIES PLANTERS ®5100 GRAIN andSOYA DRILLS •SERVICE SCHOOL FOR OWNERS Case IH 5100 Dr111sCase IH 900 Planters Get more beans per acre "Assured fast germination and emergence" Tuesday, March 31 e 7:49 p.m. Book Your Drill & Planter Service (at the meeting) SPECIAL April Disc,' unt ■ SPECIALIST ON HAND Mr. Gary Lisbon Mr Bert Daymen Take Advantage of Spring Planting Parts Specials (at the meeting) AT OUR SEAFORTH STORE HAMHAMM 521 120