63- ‘AN ACCOUNT of tur 
The {pout is generally, made of the *Shumach or Tt Elder, 
which generally growin the neighbourhood of the fugar 
trees. The tree is farft tapped on the South fide; when the 
difcharge. of its fap. begins to leflen, an opening is. made 
on its North fide, from which an increafed difcharge takes 
place. The fap flows from four to fix weeks, according 
to the temperature of the weather. ‘Troughs large enough 
to contain three or four gallons made of white pine, or 
white- ath, or of dryed water-ath, .afpen,., linden; .t pop- 
lar.or common maple,.are placed, under. the fpout, to re-.. 
ceive the fap, which is carried every day to a large receiv~ 
er, made of either of the trees before mentioned. From 
this receiver itis conveyed, after being ftrained, to the boiler. 
To preferve the fap from, rain and impurities of. all 
kinds, it is a. good praCtice to cover. the troughs with-a 
concave baard, witha hole inthe middle of it. 
It remains yet to be determined whether. fome artificial 
heat may not be applied fo as to increafe.the quantity and 
improve the quality of the fap. Mr. Noble informed me, 
that he faw a tree, under which a farmer had accidentally 
burnt fome brufh, which dropped.athick-heavy fyrup. re- 
fembling-Melafles. This fact may probably-lead to fome- 
thing ufeful hereafter. mr 4 
During the remaining part of the {pring months, as alfo 
in the fummer, and in the beginning of autumn, the ma- 
ple tree yields a thin fap, but not fit for the manufadtory 
of fugar. It affords a pleafant drink in-harveft, and has 
been ufed.inftead of rum; in fome inftances by thofe farm- 
ers in Connecticut, whofe anceftors have left to them here, 
and there, a fugar maple tree, (probably to fhade their cat- 
tle,) in all their fields). Mr. Bruce defcribes a drink of the 
fame kind, prepared by the inhabitants of Egypt, by in- 
fufing the fugar cane in water, which he declares to be 
“ the moft refrefhing drink in the world.”* =. There 
* Rhus. + Sambucus canadenfis. } Liriodendrum Tolipifera. 
* Baron La Hontan, gives the following account of the fap of the fugar maple tree, when. 
ufed 
