DBNSMOIIE] 



PLANTS AS FOOD 



309 



of the lodge. They were suspended by strips of green bark, later 

 by chains and iron hooks made by blacksmiths. The smaller kettles 

 were placed over the ends of the fire, and usually were hung on 

 wooden hooks made of tree crotches, ironwood being frequently used 

 for this purpose. 



To add to the comfort of the lodge, a double shelf was fastened to 

 the side of the framework for holding small articles. This was 

 placed near the door, where it could conveniently be reached by the 

 mistress of the lodge. 



The capacity or size of a sugar bush was not estimated by the 

 number of maple trees but by the number of "taps," as it was not 

 unusual to make two or three taps in a large tree. Nine hundred taps 

 was an average size. The number of taps was reckoned by hundreds, 

 the larger camps being mentioned as having 1,200 or 2,000 taps. 



The season of sugar making began about the middle of March and 

 lasted about a month. It is said that the best sugar was made when 

 the early part of the winter had been open, allowing the ground to 

 freeze deeper than usual, this being followed by deep snow. The 

 first run of sap was considered the best. A storm usually followed 

 the first warm weather, and afterwards the sap began to flow again. 

 This sap, however, grained less easily than the first and had a slightly 

 different flavor. Rain produced a change in the taste and a thunder- 

 storm is said to have destroyed the characteristic flavor of the sugar. 



The procedure of moving to the sugar camp depended somewhat 

 upon the condition of the lodge. If repairs with sheets of heavy 

 bark were needed, it was customary for the men to go early to the 

 cam]). The following account presupposes a lodge with birch-bark 

 rolls as its roof covering. If such a lodge were in use the women 

 went first to the camp, making their way on snowshoes through the 

 forest. On their backs they carried the rolls of birch bark for the 

 roof covering. These rolls were carried perpendicularly by a pack 

 straj) across the forehead. They were not heavy, but towered high 

 above a woman's head. 



Arriving at the camp, the women shoveled the snow away from 

 the sugar lodge and soon made themselves comfortable. A ladder of 

 tree branches was among the articles stored during the winter, and 

 placing this against the framework of the lodge they ascended and 

 spread their rolls of birch bark on the roof. On the platforms in 

 the interior of the lodge they spread cedar boughs, if such were avail- 

 able, and on these were laid rush mats, over which were spread 

 blankets and warm furs. The storehouse was opened, the great rolls 

 of birch bark being turned back, one at a time, until beneath the 

 weather-worn coverings were seen the heaps of bark dishes, makuks. 

 and buckets, white outside and warm yellow within, others a soft 

 gray or dulled by age to a rich mahogany color. (PI. 32. a.) The 



