Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1885-06-25
"SUGARING-OFF."
a BOSTON pARTY'S VISIT TO 4
MAPLE SUGAR ORCHARD
Late Winter IN New England-Pass.n.
gers Aboard a Log sied-Sap Gather
ing and Rolling Down-"Done
Enough for Cakes"
ICor. Boston Transcript.

Cor. Boston Transcript
As We left Lowell, Manchester AMI Nashua
behind "a, the mist grew thicker, enI ths
snow appeared. and soon the rain came down
with rush through the colder air. forebpd
ing uO good for the morrow The conluctor
of the party, backed by ~O.d Prob" assursI
rs that il would be bright anl clear and We
triel Ia believe him As W. spei bv the
Weir We could only see the white frozen
lake, ia tsad Of the blu sheet Of dancing
waters, overlooked by the violet crowned
heights IT OSSipce aud il, kindred The sum-
mer steamer was snugly tucked up in her
winter bed at the dock with spruce trees,
and 1t was hari to believe that only so few
months ago merry party crowded her
\ decks and enjoyed TO the utmost a glorious
day on the mountain-fringed lake
/ We came to \ halt at the door of the Pemi-
gewas>et house. a little after : O'Clock. A
genial welcome from the host awaited ms,
and. 10 my delight. tound warm rooms.
halls and parlors The aypelzing supper
was heartily enjoyed. particularly the grid =
die cakes. on which the new maple honey
cast the sweetness of coming events before.
The young people of the party spent a
merry evening with music, games and dane
[
beautiful sceae--the PemigewaSse' river.
Whit AMI still, wide intervale with leaf
les eluS a glimpse of the Engli.h looking
church. school and residence which crown
the bluff, AMI still farther the pine woods
and the slope If Prospect
Away in the north rose the sharp peaks of
the Franconias. steely b!us ami over all lay
the brilliant morning sunlight but Oh, how
COLI u wa, UndiSmayel, however,
we resumed our journey northward.
and shorty after o'clock our car was de-
tachei from the train At Warren, anl we
amazed Bo-tunians were packed upon a io,
Sled. with dry gools boxes placed acro-s for
seats. and drawn by two sorry looking nags
% the town hall. where elaborate prepara-
tionS were going on for our dinner.
But this j. not according 10 the pro-
gramme,' demonstrated the conductor Il
didn't bring this party up here sugaring %
have the camp left ont.
"Why, Aleck it's 50 tarnal cold they'll
freeze up there. Ye carnt go. anyhow
"I'll see II we can't 20, eclaimeI the Wig
orOuS young man. and OFF he rushed for the
camp Som returning and crying, "Ail
aboard" we were piled on the sled again
bound for the sugar orchard.
The sugar house itself was placed ON the
slope Of the bill below the grove Of maple
trees Each tree was adorned with a pail
hung ON il some two or three feet from the
ground. Above the pal little spout Of
wood or iron was driven into the tree
through which the sap deliciously sweet.
drips fast or slowly, according TO the
weather
When the pals are nearly full, man,
with two huge buckets which he carries
with the help Of an awkward contrivancs
worn across the shoulders, goes from tree %
tree gathering the sap. which he pours into
tubs placed at intervals about the orchard.
From these, long hnes OF wooden gutters-I
think they called them conductors-convey
il to one large tub in the sugar-hou Here
brisk fire, built under iron pans, boils the
sap away till it grows DARK and thick,
when il is taken off, cooled and strained,
and again put on to boil in one large kettle.
We watched the furious boiling eagerly
till il was pronounced ready to put on snow,
and then each. armed with saucer and
spoon and portion of the fragrant sweet,
went OUT and poured the liquid on the snow.
To the amazsment of the uninitiated the
hot sugar did not sink into the snow, but
cooled on top Of it, making the most tooth
some, delicious. sticky morsel imaginable.
Even Huyler aud his confreres cannot pro-
duce its equal Then the chief cook said il
was done enough for cakes. and lot of lit
tie oblong tin moulds We're filed and left TO
cake
What was left in the huge kettle was
stirred vigorously by the farmer, assisted by
our young ladies. till il changed from a
hquil into brown dry sugar We ate ali we
wanted, slid down the hill ON big sled that
we could not navigate: tried to walk ON
snow-shoes. but failed because they were so
large, and We couldn't keep one from step
ping ON the other; and had our pictures
taken in different attitudes by one of the
party, and at noon went back to the town
hall and sat down to dinner of baked
beans, because we were from Boston, and the
good folk feared we might be homesick with
out the familiar diet After little rest and
drying of wet feet, we started for another
camp where they were only boiling sap. they
said, and from swhich we had glorious
view OF mountain and valley Then we
went back To our car, and the farmer came
with lot of sugar in which we all invested
till his stock was exhausted.
A few minutes after our car was at
tached to the Boston train, and We were
swiftly going home ward At Plymouth we
were given ample time for hearty supper.
and at late hour came 20 a halt in Boston,
and as we left the train. each with package
or tin can of sugar under his arm, fancy
we all felt, even though we were tired. that
our day among the wind, SHOWS and woods
of New Hampshire had shown us n side OF
country living we had never before seen,
and that il was an experience worth the
having.