The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1876-06-01
Boring for Maple Sugar.

Mr.. Snifin sends the following to the
Philadelphia Buiietin:
When | bought my present place the
former owner offered, as one of the in
ducements to purchase, the fact that
there was a superb sugar-maple tree in
the garden. 1t was a noble tree, and |
made up my mind that | would tap it
some day and manufacture some sugar.
However, | never did so until this year..
But a few weeks ago l concluded to
draw the sap, and to have what MIR.
Bangs calls ga sugar-bilin'." My wife's
uncle was staying with us, and inviting
some friends to come and eat the sugar,
he and | got to work. We took a huge
wash-kettlc down into the yard and
piled some wood beneath it, and then
we brought out n couple of buckets to
catch the sap, and the anger with which
to bore a hole in the tree.
My wife's uncle said that the bucket
ought to be set about 3 feet from the
tree, as the sap would squirt right out
with a good deal Of force, and it would
be a pity to waste any of it.
Then he lighted the fire while l bored
the hole about 4 inches deep. When |
took the auger out the sap did not fol.
low, but my wife's uncle said what it
wanted was a little time, and so, while
we waited, he put a fresh armful of
wood on the fire. We waited half an
hour, and as the sap didn't come con-
cluded that the hole was not deep
enough, so | began boring again; but |
bored too far; for the auger went clear
through the tree and penetrated the
back of my wife's uncle, who was lean
ing up against the trunk trying to light
his pipe. lie jumped nearly 40 feet,
and l had to mend him up with court
plaster.
Then he said he thought the reason
the sap didn't come was that there
ought to be a kind of spigot in the hole
so as to let it run off easily. We got
the wooden spigot from the vinegar
barrel in the cellar and inserted it.
Then, as the sap did not come, my
wife's uncle said he thought the spigot
must be jammed in SO tight that it
choked the flow and, while l tried to
push it out, he fed the fire with some
kindling wood. As the spigot could
not be budged with a hammer, l con-
cluded to bore it out with an auger,
and meanwhile my wife's uncle stirred
the fire. Then the auger broke Off
short in the hole, and l had to go half a
mile to a hardware store to get another
one.
Then | bored a fresh hole, and al
though the sap would not come, the
company did, and they examined with
much interest that kettle, which was
now red.hot and which my wife's uncle
was trying to lift off the fire with the
hay-fork. As the sap still refused to
come, l went over for Bangs to tell me
how to make that ~exasperating tree
disgorge. When he arrived he looked
at the hole, then at the spigot, then at
the kettle, and then at the tree. Then
turning to me with a mournful face, he
said:
"Snifin, you have had a good deal
Of trouble in your life, an it's done you
good. It's made a man of you. This
world is full of sorrow, but we mus,
bear it without grumblin'. You know
that, of course. Consequently, now
that I've some bad news to break tc
you, l feel IS If the shock won't knock
you endways, but II be received with
patient resignation. / say I hope you
wont break down an give way to your
feelin's when I tell you that there tree
is no sugar-maple at all! erasmus
why, that's a black hickory! It is, in,
deed, and you might as well bore fol
maple-sugar in the side of a telegraph
pole!"
Then the company went home, ant
my wife's uncle said he had an engage
ment with a man in Hatboro, which h,
must keep right of. I took the kettle
up to the house, but as 1t was burned
out sold it next day for Is cents 70,
old iron; and bought a new n TO
Sl2. i think now maybe it's better Il
buy your maple-sugar.