Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-04-02
THE WATERBURY EVENING DEMOCRAT MoNpAY APRIL lsss
MAKING MAPLE SUGAR.

MAKING MAPLE SUGAR.
 ONE OF THE MOST DELICIOUS MEM ORES OF CHILDHOOD.
 A Trip to the Oldtime '.Bush'-A Day When Patent Evaporators Were Un- known-Golden Drips of Indescribab1e sweetness-"It Ropes!''
 There is one thing that no mortal can imi- tate. have seen and tasted a hundred sorts of manufactured sugar; but will go without my spring bonnet if cannot tell the honest from the imitation every time. There is delicate bouquet of favors commingled to make up maple syrup-fve in number, am sure, if not six These I can tell, one from the other, and glucose is not one of them. The most delicious memory of my girlhood is of day when was permitted to go with my father to the tsbush," half mile from | the house. The bush, or grove, was about seventy five maple trees scattered in groups and singly up and down the slopes of great | glen. or perched on top grand knoll. We rode on a stone boat over the snow, for the | 1dIluGIS COulQ carry OA Sdp HUI O easily on such vehicle, and it did not cut l into the snow. remember to this hour just | where crow sat perched on dead hemlock; and as we went through the old orchard woodpecker, who was pecking hole in a stubbed limb, turned his queer head around and looked at me as much as to say: Well! who are you, any ways" The crow said nothing, which is a crows way of saying | great deal; for when crow keeps still you may be sure he is very busy thinking. In the maple tree by the brook there was squirrels hole and as there had been some warm weather, Bobby was abroad, and l suppose gathering in from his caches or store houses.
 l HONEST OLD DOZEN.
 Then we were in the bush, and the horse ] was headed near the fire, so that he should be comfortable, and an old buffalo robe was thrown across his back, and bunch of hay laid under his nose. So all the morning Dobbin munched his hay or took nap be- tween bites, and rambled about under the south slope, where the snow had thawed away and the dry leaves lay in heaps in little hollows.
 s'The folks," that is my father and my two big brothers, were patiently en1ptying buck cts that stood by the trees, into pails, and carrying the contents to the great cauldron kettles that hung over the fire, near by Dob bin. There were none of the improved ways 1 then, nor any patent evaporators; but there was genuine sap, that ran out of real trees, and we boiled it till it was thick, honest syrup, every ounce of it. Then we took it to the house, where my mother cleansed it | with cup of milk; for the milk made the dirt to rise to the top when it boiled. When it rose, one must quickly skim it off, with a great long handled brass skinner. 'sYou are quick" said my mother often, ''and your eyes are bright, now you may take the skinner" When it was cleansed it must ''boil down" for awhile, till it would s'rope" and grain. Oh, sugary days of childhood! | Oh, golden drips of indescribable sweetness! | For one whole hour we stood around, al l ways conveniently near, to help test the boil ing joy of robust stomachs and a ''sweet | tooth" Saucers and teaspoons we all had and small amount was in turns ladled into | our dishes, that proceeded to stir and taste When at last the liquid, held aloft, came down from the spoon into the saucer in | threads and strings we cried: 'sIt ropes it ropes!" "Well, then, it will soon grain," the older ones would say. So we stirred all the more Justify, and ate all the more rapidly, for we must know the moment it would grain. FROM LIQUID TO soLID
 First of all the pure white scum that rose clean and foam like would thicken when l stirred till cool. Then the true sugar began to show a sign of turning from liquid to | solid The pot must now be quickly swung off from over the fire in the great fireplace, | and in turn stirred the fiery contents with wooden ''pudding stick" You do not know what a pudding stick was You do not deserve to know, for having been born at ] so late day. You should have been born | sooner There is no romance now But pudding sticks and rolling pins every girl knew the meaning of in those days. We were brought up on much m,lsh and many doughnuts, and we girls knew all about it.
 Manual instruction! Indeed, it was the rule in those days. It is no new thing. And our mothers also knew how to use their hands
 But, as said, one is always getting born l too soon or not soon enough. But what is more, nothing ever stays as it was. I go now to look for the bush, and in it's place is a street with houses, and no end of children l peeking out the windows. They it is who l have usurped my place. Yes, they have crowded me along, and are the boys and girls l of today; and it is they who hold the saucers and the spoons; and have by sheer compul- sion taken to the pen. It is well, little ones
 The world has none too many of you. It never will have. But, as for us, we have the past, and no one can take it away from
 us. AHu IL oue AsaS Cue past ouo cdu ulsite sugar from the trees that used to grow and are now cut down. call it the maple sugar of memory. Only some one there are that
 have the knack of making sugar, and can
 only make vinegar. One must not throw l away the past when once it is lived, for it is | delightful property to have Dear old sugar
 bush! no ax shall ever cut you out of my
 loving heart.-Mary B. Spencer in Globe l Democrat.
 | Cotton and Corn.
 The southern press seems to have finally persuaded the farmers to abandon the all
 cotton idea, and to grow more grain. It l oa11incr tboir. o+f tCf