199 
through the bark of this tree and barely ppanscone -wood.below, yet 
at this trifling outlet, the sugar water has continued to discharge itself 
all day. Waggons not unfrequently on driven. over the exposed roots, 
so.as to grind off the bark; and , 1 brought i 
tact with the tree, so as to rub the we off from the trunk : from these 
wounds, there always flows, at the close of winter, sugar water enough 
to moisten the road for a considerable distance from the tree. _ Our far- 
mers in the west, where the Acer saccharinum abounds, never think of 
boring more than an inch or two into the tree; the object being merely 
to secure a hold for the inserted tube. Were. they to extend the 
into the heart-wood, they would not. only soon destroy the tres ‘Dut 
they would never be compensated for this additional labor ; and I ven- 
ture to say, they would not obtain one drop of fluid Foca the heart- 
wood ; whence, on the contrary, the writer before us, imagines all the 
Sugar water is derived. On warm days in winter, I have seen the stump 
and trunk of sugar trees cut down in that season, moistened from the 
bark to the central colored layers, by the water oozing from.all parts of 
the alburnum; while the heart-wood, to all appearance, was as ‘ dry 
as a Ledamatiols ” I may add: it is well known that in summer, when 
the writer quoted supposes the sap to be restored to the alburnum, no 
fluid can be obtained from the tree by boring into it. __ 
_ The Acer saccharinum is one of those trees, whose colored ites, 
bear a very small proportion to the bulk of the alburnum. e 
Perhaps in this connection, T may be pet to make a collateral 
resented a nie holding'a tub with ‘both hands, at the foot of @ tree, 
from which issues a stream wi arabolic cur 
if I recollect vighily, another eal stends near with another ¥end 
to slip under the jet, the moment the tub should become filled. We 
have no such trees as this, in the west. It is questionable whether the 
engraver ever made acquaintance with a sugar tree. There is nia 
ho art or study which is not facilitated or enhanced by. the ittor 
of general knowledge. 
~The writer, in order to sustain his opinion, further sensi, pies 
“may be found in the practice of the pioneers of our western hard 
wood forests ; there, as I have been informed, they used to girdle their 
trees in the winter, for the very purpose of having them rot and fall 
wh and thereby save the necessity of cutting them.” The practice 
of ; trees, is still prevalent ee the west; the object aes 
g . e ti But Lam oo ae 
