The times., 1901-04-07
WOMEN SYRUP MAKERS.
They own and Operate Sugar Bush
in Ohio.

\ sugar bush is queer looking place
especially 10 novice One person. view
ing the pals from afar thought that
every tree had beside it a stump. 1t is
rather odd to see that little tin spout
sticking from every trunk, with the pail
hanging on the end and the clear white
sap drip, drip. dripping down into 1t. One
of the most picturesque things about
sugar camp is the sled which goes about
collecting the sap Very sci ION is there
snow for the sled to ride on. but wheels
would never do out there among the
trees. and so the primitive old sled goes
sliding along. bearing the very new zinc
tank into which the sap is poured from
the buckets. And Of what awful deception
Is that sap capable. In it's clear and un-
cooked state IT looks like water, and
tastes very much like it-water with
little sugar thrown in. Just after It has
begun to boil it is very good. and there
is never a sap house without a dipper
handy. which can be filed with the bub-
bling stuff. which is very good to drink
The work is rather hard. and one must
keep at it pretty steadily when the sap
begins to come, until that run Is over.
And vet there is a good sized bush not
far from Cleveland, says the Plain Deal
err" which is not only owned. but operat-
ed, by women.
II is one of the prettiest bushes that
one would wish to see, and the syrup
made there has a good steady market at
a good higI. price. There IS man 10 90
the tapping and to gather the sap, Du1
the boiling and tending and canning Is
all attended to by the owners OF the Tar
They have the work evenly divided
one sees to the outside part, the other
looks after the skirnming and CANNING
and all the inside work.
The shed is a rough building WITH oliS y
large room and one small one Ihe sfnSill
one is for Wood-the sap IS boiled IN lhe
other There are two big tanks, set INTO
brickwOrk under which burns HtIce
wood fire. The sap, as II rs gatheI ~, I'd -
sledded to one corner of the sned, anu
there pcured out into a third tank. rom
there it is dipped a bucketful at time,
into one of the other tanks, passing from
that to the one directly over the ped OF
fire, and above this tank hangs cloud
of white steam There is bench run
ming along one end of the sned- ana t%he %
womans part is plainly shown by tne
books and cushions strewH on It. no
need not to be comfortable, even Wnlle
working. At some of the camps coti
fire is used but the wood fire IS so mucn
prettier. with its great long stlGhs 81 ol
wood through and around which the hre
flashes and dances in way 1t never uoeS
with a coal fire.
Syrup only is made at this camp, ana
when a little sugar Is wanted real old
time gypsy bonfire is built outside, a
small iron kettle put on, and the sap
boiled down in the good, old-fashioned
way 1t is lots of fun to tend-that fun
ny little Gre-and the sap is good IN every
stage, from the time il is put into the
kettle till it turns to sugar almost as
soon as taken off the fire. No one who
| has never eaten maple that way-Just as
| il is boiled up from the sap-has any idea
how gOOd IL can be.
There is work way into the evening.
and sometimes almost ali night, when
| the sap is running well and plenty toI
| everybody to do, from the staid old
| horses. who know the route around
among the trees as well as do their driV-
ers, to those who put up the syrup