J2 TlMEHRI. 
bark breaks off from the upper side, and occasionally a 
thin splinter of wood is also raised. Quickly stooping 
down, he takes a cup and, pasting on a small quantity 
of clay on the flat side, presses it to the trunk close be- 
neath the cut. By this time the milk, which is of daz- 
zling whiteness, is beginning to exude ; so that if re- 
quisite he so smooths the clay that it may trickle direct 
into the cup. At a distance of four or five inches, but at 
the same height, another cup is fitted on ; and so the pro- 
cess is continued until a row of cups encircles the tree at 
a height of about six feet from the ground. Another tree 
is treated in like manner until the tapping required for the 
day is finished. 
This work should be concluded by nine or ten o' clock 
in the morning, because milk continues to exude slowly 
from cuts for three hours or perhaps longer. I may state 
that there is a great difference among collectors in the 
performance of these duties. Some take care to get good 
clay previously and incorporate it well, so that a very small 
portion is needed to attach the cups to the trunks; they 
also work with neatness and intelligence, and invariably 
collect a good quantity of milk. Others again do not take 
the trouble to prepare clay before-hand, but merely 
scrape up a handful when they require it at the side of a 
gapo, which is often of little consistence, so that a large 
quantity is required to fasten the cups. This class of 
collectors often have many fragments of clay or other 
impurities in their milk, the result of not following a 
proper method of working. The quantity of milk that 
flows from each cut varies, but if the tree is large and 
has not been much tapped the majority of cups will be 
