Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-05
GRANDMA sHARPNosE AND THE
THE MAPLE SUGAR.

THE MAPLE SUGAR.
ooh, mamma, what's grandma, do
ing?" asked Woozie Fuzzytail, the
little fox boy, as he came running in
the house one afternoon. What Is
she doing out there?'
"Out where?" asked Mamma Fuzzy
tail, as she finished putting some
strawberry jam in an apple pie for sup.
per.
"Why she's out there In the woods,
near our backyard" went on Woozie,
''and Uncle Wiggily Longears, the rab-
bit gentleman, is with her. Uncle Wig
gily Is making holes in the trees and
Grandma Sharpnose is holding pail
under the hole"
"Oh, guess she is getting ready to
make maple sugar said the fox lady.
what is maple sugar, and how do
you make it," asked Wuzzie. the other
little fox boy. as he came in from
playing marbles with Johnnie Bushy-
tail, the squirrel chap. !,
"And may we have some?" asked
Wizzie, the little fox girl She had just
taken her doll, Sarah Janet Bushel-
basket, out for q walk in the washtub.
"WeIl, you had better ask Grandma
Sharpnose as to that" said Mrs. Fuz-
zytail. "She is making the maple
sugar."
Out to the little grove OF trees ran
the fox children. There they saw Uncle
Wiggily with his knife making holes In
the tree trunks little way up from
the ground, and out Of the hole dripped
something that looked like water. 1t
fell into a pail that Grandma Sharp
nose held.
ooh, Grandma" cried Woozie, tell
us about maple sugar, please"
"And, may we have some?" asked
Wizzie
well, guess So" answered the old
lady fox. you see maple sugar comes
from maple trees" she explained. All
trees have in them sap, which Is Just
the same to them as our blood Is to
us. In the spring this juice or sap be-
gins to run up inside the tree. When
Uncle Wiggily makes a hole in the
bark the sap runs out and let it drop
into the pail
"Is 1t good to eat now" asked Wuz-
zie, as he caught a drop of the maple
sap on his paw and tasted it with his
tongue.
"Why. it's sweet" he cried.
EYES," said Grandma Sharpnose,
maple sap is sweet, but when make
it into maple sugar 1t will be much
sweeter."
ooh, how do you do it," asked Wiz
zie.
"rll soon show you," the fox lady
answered.
II guess I'll tap, or bore, holes in a
lot more Trees said Uncle Wigglly.
"Then we'll have sap enough to make
plenty OF maple sugar for these chill
dren," and he looked at the little foxes
over the tops of his spectacles.
Does 1t hurt the tree to make hole
in It." asked Wuzzie. "Our teacher at
school says we should always take
care of trees"
"And so you should answered
Uncle Wiggily. But I only make q
little hole, and it does not hurt the
tree to take some of It's sap or juice.
would not hurt a tree myself"
BY and bye, pretty soon, not so very
long, Grandma Sharpnose had pail
full of sap. ;,
"Now we will. boil 1t over fire.
she said, "and soon it will be maple
sugar"
"What does boiling do to it?'' Woozie
wanted to know.
1T makes the sap get thicker, and
stickier," said Grandma Sharpnose,
"and finally, just as when your NAM
ma makes molasses candy, 1t is ready
to harden. Then l will pour the hot
sap into a pan and when 1t cools
there will be cake of maple sugar"
'I'll make the fire!" said Uncle Wig
gily, the rabbit gentleman.
"And we'll help" cried the fox
children.
Soon there was little blaze faring
UP on bare spot in the grove of
maple trees. Uncle Wiggily hung d
big kettle over the fire, and into the
kettle Grandma Sharpnose poured the
sap that had run out of the trees. In
q little while it was boiling.
Faster and faster it boiled and bub-
bled, and every once in while
Grandma Sharpnose would take little
of the hot, sweet stuff out in long
handled spoon, to see if it were thick
enough.
ut will soon be maple sugar." she
said. "Then 1 will pour 1t out and
when it is coor and hard you children
may have some"
Faster and faster boiled and bub-
bled the kettle Of sap over the fire.
Then, with Uncle Wiggily to help her,