Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-04-06
half ounces of sugar. without any syrup.

HAD a dispute with father about the
use of my making the sugar when knew
1t could be done, and might have bought
sugar cheaper at Holdens. He said 1t
took me from my studies I said l made
| 1t my study. and felt that I had been to
a university. The sap dropped from each
tube about as fast as my pulse beat. and
as there were three tubes directed to
each vessel 1t flowed at the rate of about
$50 drops n minute. The south side
Of tree blceds first in spring. Had a
three-quarter.inch auscr. Made a. dozen
spouts Ave or six inches long. hole as
large as a pencil and smoothed with
one"
Although he didpt mention 1t. Tho
reau's tubes were probably followed out
pieces OF alder, as they are at Newfound-
! land.
We found seventy-four trees running
this year. each one tapped in three places
on the south side.
| II was raining hard most Of the day.
but in spite of the weather and of the
facts that the ice was still a foot thick
OH the neighboring lakes and that there
were remnants of snowdrfts here and
there. the birds were out. just as they
should be at all well-regu lYYed sugaring-
offs There were robins.&bluAbirds. black
birds, sparrows, and cisfrkAdres hunting
seed on the bare patches. or catching the
| few insects that the warmth of n south
wind had brought to life. Between show
ers there was a dense fog that concealed
the slopes of the hills and left the fringe
| of trees along the ridges visible above
the clouds. A hickory standing alone
with n background of mist was a per-
feet picture in black and white.
| Our guide to the sugar orchards was
the hospitable farmer who had put us
up over night.
| 1t was necessary to get across half
dozen brooks running at food speed be-
cause of the thaw. The only way was
to step from one haif-submergcd stone
to another. and the only footing on the
banks was on rotting ice. so of course
there was bound to be one mishap. Macs
was the victim. lie slipped, made Il
graceful diagonal slide. feet first, and
went up to the waist in ice water. Our
host was equal to the emergency. and
led the way to a SAP shanty where he
knew no boiling would be in progress. be-
cause It happened to be Sunday and the
owner of that shanty was an elder. Here
the guO built a Are with the wood care
fully pile mp for the next days boiling.
and the dronched clothes were hung on
the crane to dry. In the meanwhile the
IOwner of the clothes tried to pretend
that he was so hardened that he didn't
the cold. But when his teeth began to
rattle he built A deacon's seat alongside
the blaze and sQuatted there till the
smoke became worse than the shivering.
Then he clambered into one of the huge
copper watts hung near the fire, and
stayed there till he was IL little more
than warm enough.
| This reminds me-" said the farmer. as
he got up to put fresh stick on the fire
under Macks individual kettle. "of a pic
ture called The Cannbal Feast that
was printed in a missionary paper they
distributed up at the church once when
they wanted contributions
Although sap was running everywhere.
sugar to bring home as trophy and as
proof Of our whereabouts was scare and
lizard to get. 1t takes three gallons of
sap to make one pound Of sugar. 1t was
early in the season. and there had been
but two boilings So to get four pounds
lapiece we had to go to three farmhouses.
At one OF them the family was at din
ncr. the farmer and his wife and five
small children, and each OF the children
was making meal of new maple syrup
land bread and homemade pot cheese.
To wash it down they had cider made
lat home last fall and kept sweet all win
ter. The farmer said at first that he had
only two pounds of sugar to sell. Then
he looked ut his children and revised
the estimate He had given tree to
each boy to tap and told him that he
could do as he liked with its product. so
ha hp "a "a
stock of sugar. The father levied on it
all and silence the protests of his young
stcrs by promising them that they should
he paid at the rate of twenty-five cents
la pound. We felt like thieves stealing
candy from babies. But there was to be
another boiling the next day. and then
the children would have some more sugar
land pocket money besides.
We did not take the sugar that they
had on their plates.