120 A NATURE WOOING. 



discontinued, and the remainder of the year is occu- 

 pied in preparatory labors for the following season, 

 which consist first, in making the boxes. This is 

 done in January and February ; in the base of each 

 tree, about three or four inches from the ground, 

 and of preference on the south side, a cavity is 

 formed, commonly of the capacity of three pints, but 

 proportioned to the size of the trunk, of which it 

 should occupy a quarter of the diameter; on stocks 

 more than six feet in circumference, two, and some- 

 times four, boxes are made on opposite sides. Next 

 comes the raking, or the clearing of the ground at the 

 foot of the trees from leaves and herbage, by which 

 means they are secured against the fires that are often 

 kindled in the woods by the carelessness of travelers 

 and wagoners. If the flames gain the boxes already 

 impregnated with turpentine, they are rendered use- 

 less and others must be made. Notching is merely 

 making at the sides of the box two oblique gutters, 

 about three inches long, to conduct into it the sap that 

 exudes from the edges of the wound. In the interval 

 of a fortnight, which is employed in this operation, 

 the first boxes become filled with sap. A wooden 

 shovel is used to transfer it to pails, which, in turn, 

 are emptied into casks placed at convenient distances. 

 To increase the product, the upper edge of the box is 

 chipped once a week, the bark and a portion of the al- 

 burnum being removed to the depth of four concentri- 

 cal circles. The boxes fill every three weeks. After 



