128 LUTHER BURBANK 



early spring when the sun shines brightly while 

 there is a cover of snow on the ground. At this 

 time, all that is necessary is to bore an auger 

 hole in the trunk of the tree, and insert a 

 spigot or grooved stick to guide the sap into 

 the bucket. 



A single tree may be tapped in several places, 

 and a bucket of sap will run from each spigot 

 in the course of a day. 



The sap itself is a clear, watery fluid, the 

 sweet taste of which gives assurance of the 

 quality of sugar it contains. By boiling the sap 

 to evaporate the surplus water, a thick sirup 

 is produced which crystallizes on cooling, pro- 

 ducing the maple sugar of commerce. 



Nothing is added to the sap and nothing but 

 part of its watery content is taken away from 

 it — that is to say, if it is honestly made. The 

 sugar as the maple supplies it, is a perfect 

 product requiring no dilution and calling for no 

 elaborate process of manufacture. 



Perhaps it is not so much matter for surprise 

 that maple trees produce this sweet sap in such 

 abundance as that other trees do not more gen- 

 erally imitate its example. For the function of 

 the sugar in supplying nourishment for the 

 young buds before the leaves are sufficiently 

 expanded to begin their work of sugar manu- 



