Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-12-13
"The Boys Of My Boyhood."

"The Boys Of Ny BoyhoOd."
WILLIAM crilES RnrAsr.
One Of the entertainments of the boys Of |
my time was what were called the "raisings," |
meaning the erection Of the timber frames |
Of houses or barns, TO which the boards were |
to be aiterward nailed. Here the minister |
made APPOINT of being present, aud hther the |
able-bodied men of the neighborhood, the |
young men especially, were summoned, and |
took part in the work with great alacrity. 1t |
was a spectacle for ms next to that of a per !
former on the tight-rope, TO see the young
men walk steadily on the narrow footing OF
the beams at great hight from the ground,
or as they stood ~ catch in their hands the
wooden pins and the braces flung to them
from below. They We'd with each other in
the deXterity aud daring with which they
went through with the work, and when the
skeleton Of the building was put together,
some one among them generally capped the
climax OF fearless activity by standing on
the ridge.pole with his head downward and
his heels in the air. At that time, even the
presence of the minister was no restraint
upon the flow of milk punch aud grog,
which in some cases was taken TO excess
The practice of calling the neighbors TO
these "raisings" is now discontinued in
the rural neighborhoods the carpenters
provide their own workmen for the business
of adjusting the timbers of the new build
ing to each other, aud there is no consump-
ton of grog.
Another of the entertainments of rustic
life in the region of which | am speaking
was the making of maple sugar This was
a favorite frolic of the boys. The appaa-
tus for the sugar camp was of a much ruder
kind than is now used, The sap was
brought in buckets from the wounded trees
and poured into great caldron which hung
over hot fire from a stout horizontal pole
supported at each end 10y an upright stake
planted in the ground. Since that time
they have built in every maple grove a sugar
house-a little building in which the pro-
cess of making sugar is carried on with sew
eral ingenious contrivances unknown at that
time, when everything was done in the open
air.
From my fathers floor, in the latter part
of March and the early part of April, we
could see perhaps dozen columns of smoke
rising over the woods in different places
where the work was going on. After the
sap had been collected and boiled for three
or four days, the time came when the thick
ening liquid was made to pass into the form
of sugar. This was when the syrup had be-
come of such a consistency that it would
feather that is to say, when beecheu
twig, formed at the small end into little
loop, dipped into the hot syrup and blown
upon by the BREATH sent into the air a light,
feathery film. The hupe caldron was then
lifted from the fire, and its contents were
either dipped out and poured into molds or
L. III. ~
the form of ordinary brown sugar in loose
grains. This process was exceedingly in.
teresting to the bows who came Ia watch lis
different staqes and 10 trv from time 10 time
the syrup as it thickened.
I'm autumn. the task of stri,,nino fine bnsks
from the ears of Indian corn was made the
occasion of social meetings. in which the
bows took a snecial mart a farmer would
app,int what was called O. bnsking" In
which he invited his neiphbors. The ears
of maize in the husk. sometimes along with
mart of the stall, wore beaned on tbe harm
floor. In the evening lanterns were brougbt
and seated on niles of dry husks the men
and bows stripped the ears of their covering
and breaking them from tbe ste,n with !
sudden Jerk ihrev them into basLe,s ,,lacad
for the nurnose. II was often n merry time
the possip of the neighborhood was talked
over stories we're tnld iests went round and
at the proper hour the assembly adjourned
To the dwelling.house and we're treated n
pumpkin pie and cider. which in that season
| had not been so long from the nress as 10
have rarted with its Sweetness
Ouite as cheerful were the "annle-nar
inns which ON antnmn avanings hrongL,
toeether the voung neonle of hofb seves In
little circles The fruit of the orcbards ,vas
nared and nnartarad and The cora avtrootod
and a snnnlv of annles in This state nrovided
for making what was called :, an,la.sonce :
n kind of preserves of which ,,,.r, fan,il,
laid in a large Quantity every vear
The cider'matinq season IN autnr,, ,yas
AZ The time of which / am s,aaLi,,r so,''a
what corresnondent 10 tha iintaaas IN FL,
,,;no con,triss If Enro,,a - - a.. ~,
land in New England we're oversbad o,rod h,
ro,ys of annIa.tTeas and /, H., ,,,l,',t =,
Nav ionrnev through that re,,;on vas 4
Journey through n wildernass If hloon, /,
The month of Octoher the Who'll ,'o,,,Ia,;ar
was bnsv gathering an,Ios ,,ndar ,ha -
from which they len in beavv sbo,,ars a.
ibe branches were shaken hy lha s,ranr
arms of the farmars m ,ra'I, If H..
| cider-mil turned Inv ho,.. r,orin1, ~ ,
circle was hoard in ave,v na;,,hhnrl''H1,d a.
one of the most common of rnral sounds
The freshly.pressed mice of the annles wa,
most agreeable 10 bovisb tastes and IN,
whole process Of gathering The frnit an,
MAKING the cider came In amonc tbe nor,
laborions rural occnnations in a Sav Who,
diversified them pleaiantly. and which mad,
II seem a pastime. The Tine that was r,;va,
10 MAKING cider, and the nmnher nf bsrrel
made and stored In the collar If tbe far,n
houses. would now seem incredibIo a hmm ~,
dred barrels 10 a singls farm Voc no nm 49,,
mon nronortion and tho on",,;tv s,,ailo,ra'
Inv The men of tb,t dav ieJ 10 H. hah;,s %
intemnerance which az lenath aIar,n,d III,
more thongbtful mart of tha comm"ni,v a .ra'
gave occasion 10 the sormation os ,sn,, na,
snce societies and the introduction of hsite
habits. ''''~
From time IN TINA tha ,,;n,or oror;nrs