lleys. But now the coldest days are over, and the sun, in his
returning course, begins to send down-rays of pleasant warmth. The
nights are still sharp, and the March winds have not yet ceased to blow;
but for a week, the snow has been melting at noon-day on the southern
slope of the hills.

[Illustration: THE YOKE.]

One afternoon, when the sun seems a little warmer than usual, the farmer
comes in to the house, on his return from a trip to the wood-lot,
saying, "Boys, this is good weather for sap. We must get the buckets
out, and be ready to tap the trees to-morrow."

The buckets are stored in the loft over the shed, or at the barn or in
the sugar-house, where they were carefully laid away after last year's
season was over. Now they must be washed and scalded, repaired if
necessary, and carried around to the trees.

Twenty-five years ago nearly all the buckets were made of pine or cedar,
had wooden hoops, and were without covers. At present many of them are
made of tin, and are provided with covers.

By night, with all hands at work, the buckets are washed and
distributed. They are left in sets of half-a-dozen at convenient
distances through the orchard, or else are turned bottom-upwards on the
snow, one at the foot of each tree.

Sometimes it happens at this stage of the proceedings that a storm
comes up unexpectedly, a cold spell follows, and operations are delayed
accordingly. But, if the weather continues fine, the next day the trees
are tapped.

[Illustration: GATHERING THE SAP.]

Armed each with a bit-stock and one-half or three-quarter-inch bit, the
farmer and his older boys go from tree to tree, and, selecting a
favorable spot a few feet from the ground, break off any rough pieces of
outer bark, and bore a hole into the tree to the depth of one or two
inches. Formerly a larger bit was used, and the bore was rarely more
than an inch in depth; but experience has shown that the smaller and
deeper bore injures the tree less and secures a larger quantity of sap.

Next the younger boys, acting as assistants, come forward with spouts
and nails and buckets. The old style of spout consists of a wooden tube
some five or six inches in length, tapered slightly at one end to fit
the auger-hole, and with the upper half of the cylinder cut away down to
an Inch from the point where it enters the tree. The new style, now
largely used, is made of galvanized iron, is of smaller size, and has
attached to it a hook on wh