P/lAY SO 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
far i\)t 1)aung. 
MAPLE SUGAR. 
JOSEPHINE C. POOLE. 
I. 
ATHER came home one 
bright day in March—almost 
the first spring-like day we 
had known that year. Re 
held a letter in his hand, and 
told us we must guess who it 
was from. 
We all tried, but could not 
guess right; and when he 
read it to us we were delight¬ 
ed to find it was fromUucle Aze), who lives 
on the old farm in Bloomfield, which was 
mother’s home when she was a little girl. We 
had often been there in Summer, but never 
in the sugar making season, but had wished 
we could be many times. Now, Uncle Azel 
had written for us all to come, and right 
away too, for the sun’s rays were warm now 
in the middle of the day, and the snow 
was beginning to melt, so he was busy at 
work getting ready for the first run of sap 
which is always the best. 
We were pleased euough at the thought of 
going—were to stay a whole week, leaving 
books and lessons behind us. Howard wanted 
to take his skates, but father thought both 
the boys ought, to carry rubber boots instead, 
as he hoped they would be needed, more than 
skates. 
We started ou the early morning train a 
few mornings after; all on time—nothing 
forgotten. A happier party could not be 
found—six of us all together. It was snow¬ 
ing a little, but the air was clear enough l’or 
us to see across the river as we sped along, 
and ihe children kept a look out for the old 
familiar places. West .Point looked quite 
frozen and ice-bound and Old .Storm King 
still kept on bis white night cap of snow, 
closedown to bis ears. The two Mountain 
Houses at Cornwall and Catskill, seemed 
buried, and looked strangely; as we had only 
seen tnem in Summer, when everything 
around was fresh and green. 
We were soon at Albauy, where we dined, 
and were all hungry as young bears. After 
we left there, the train just dauced along and 
brought us to Syracuse, where we changed 
cars to go to Bloomfield. The farther west 
we traveled, the more snow we fouud, and 
the conductor said that three weeks before, 
the drifts were higher than the cars, and they 
were obliged to cut their way through, really 
line inakiug a tuuuel, only it was open at the 
top. 
Uncle Azel met us at the station, where we 
iel t the railroad, with a sleigh large enough 
to hold us all. We were soon driviug towards 
Bloomfield, and the six miles seemed very 
short. People who met us looked as if they 
won lered where such a merry party came 
from, as the boys saug aud shouted like wild 
Indians. 
The farm house looked so different in Win 
ter—so dark aud plain. The paint had washed 
oil' the clap boards aud left the wood gray or 
brown, but the vines almost covered it in 
Summer, and made it pretty and green. The 
branches of the trees quite poked their noses 
into the open windows then, and we could 
step on to the roof of the porcu over the front 
door, and pick quantities of cherries when 
they were ripe. Now, when the vines were 
dead, and the leaves off the trees, they looked 
like grim skeletons standing as sentinels. 
Tnougb gloomy looking ou the outside, all was 
cheerful within the house. The windows 
shone with light, aud Aunt Maria, when she 
heard our sleigh bells, opened the door to 
wtlc tine us with kind and loving words. 
They were all glad to see us, aud thought the 
boys had grown so much siuce Summer. 
Supper was ready waitiug for us, and the 
boys showed at the table why It was they 
grew so fast, in the way tnay devoured the 
roast chicken, biscuit, aud other good things. 
We were all very tired, aud soon went to 
bed, truly thankful that we were there and 
going to stay the whole week. 
When we awoke the next morning the rain 
just poured aud the sky was dark and gloomy. 
Freddie cried aloud, but Howard said “Never 
mind, we’ll have lots of fun up in the garret, 
and can play with the kittens, too, if we can’t 
go out.” After breakfast Uncle came in all 
dressed for the raiu, aud said that though it 
made it dull and stupid for us, he was very 
giad it rained, for it would help melt and 
clear away thesnuw, aud it would be easier 
to get arouud in the woods to gather the sap, 
which was running freely. He drove down 
the road, aud we watched the sleigh until it 
turned into the ’sugar-bush,” as they call the 
groves of maple trees from which the sugar is 
made. 
It is really a grove of trees called sugar- 
maple, and we had often played there in hot 
weather, when it was always so cool and 
quiet. We would gather mandrakes, and pre¬ 
tend they were oranges, and the splendid cat¬ 
tails growing in the marsh beyond. Father 
had gone with uncle, and mother said they 
would have a good visit talking over old 
times, for they had been boys together and 
father’s early home was on the next farm— 
right down the road, and they had made sugar 
together many a rime, when boys. 
They returned late in the afternoon pretty 
tired with tbeir day’s work, but after supper, 
when Uncle Azel had gotten on his slippers 
and was sitting in his easy chair, we all 
gathered round the blazing fire, aud as we 
watched the logs crackle and burn, he told us 
all about maple sugar. 
He said, “that in the Autumn, when the 
leaves are dead and fallen, when the cold 
winds begin to blow and frost is coming, the 
6 ap aud juice of the tree leaves its branches 
and trunk and settles in the roots, away b9low 
the cold and frost. The leaf-buds on the 
branches, which are already formed and 
ready to grow in the coming season aud form 
a new mantle of foliage in the yammer, are 
safely folded aud coated with a hard, close 
covering, so that no storm can hurt them, 
and there they stay all wrapped up, waiting. 
In the Spring when the suu begins to melt 
the suow, the frost is leaving and the earth is 
full of moisture, then the trees know thut 
Winter has gone, aud the roofs begin to work 
again. They drink the water of which the 
soil is so full, and seud it up through the trunk 
of the tree to the many little branches,houghs 
and twigs, and to the waiting leaf-buds, each 
eager for its share, ready to burst its prison 
bar3. The moisture thus carried up to nourish 
the tree is called the sap, or juice of the tree. 
The sugar maple dontains a great deal of sac¬ 
charine matter or sugar which has a sweetish 
taste, and by boiliug great quantities of the 
sap. evaporating the water in it, maple sugar 
is produced. The timo Jto draw the sap is 
when it begins to return to the upper part of 
the tree, in early-Spriug, when the nights are 
frosty and the days warm and sunny. Tap¬ 
ping the trees does not injure them early in 
the Spring, uules3 too much sap is taken, and 
the sugar is then good. But later, when the 
buds begin to sprout, sugar made from the 
sap has a strong- unpleasant taste. We all 
listened to Uncle with interest ami went to 
sleep that night talking about sugar-making. 
Little Fred said he had “always thought they 
dug maple su^ar out of the ground like pota¬ 
toes-found it rouud the roots of the trees; 
and be should tell his teacher he had learned 
a good deal this week, if he hadn’t been at 
school!” 
CLOTHES MOTHS. 
* UNCLE MARK. 
A box containing papery tube-like cocoons 
was received recently from Addie H. Stone, 
with questions about them: What are they? 
What harm do they do; aud do they move? 
I sent them to Prof. Riley, and ho kindly re¬ 
plied : 
“The cocoons enclosed in your letter belong 
to one of the little tiueid case makers, which 
feed upon woolen goods, etc. From the case, 
it seems to be the common Tinea tapetzella, 
although it is impossible to say with certainty 
without first breeding the moth, as the color 
of the case depends on the color of the fabric 
fed on, the little worm cutting bis coat and 
coloring it according to his cloth.” These 
cocoods from Addie are about three-tenths of 
an inch long, light in color and open at both 
ends, though tapering a little from the center. 
Carefully opening oue I found in it a little 
white worm, or larva, with a brown head. 
This larva has been living in its tube like case 
siuce last May or June, the season when they 
batch from the eggs. The mother-insect lays 
the eggs on or near some garment or piece of 
cloth. Wheu they hatch, it is in the larva state, 
and they set to work immediately to weave 
the cases they are to live in. As Prof. Riley 
says, they cut and color their coats according 
to the cloth; forming tbeir cases of the goods 
upon which they find themselves, mukiug 
them seem like part of the cloth, aud thus 
hiding themselves from all but careful search¬ 
ing. 
Henry McCook tells in his book, entitled 
“Tenants of an Old Farm,” how the larva 
may be made to array itself iu a coat of many 
colors, by moving it from cloth of one color 
to that of auother; green, black aud red may 
in this way become parts of one case. The 
larva pass the summer in these cases, moving 
them about as they feed; for the cloth is their 
food, as well as their clothing. In the Fall 
they cease to eat and lie torpid through the 
Winter. In the Spring they change within 
their cases to chrysalids, remaining in that 
state about three weeks, when they become 
winged moths, less than an inch across the 
extended wings. They fly about at night, and 
their lives are short in the winged state, for 
soon after the eggs are laid they all die. The 
work of destruction is all doue by them while 
iu the larva state within their papery cases. 
While the history of the moth is very interest¬ 
ing, its work is very vexatious, and this is 
the season to guard against the destruction it 
causes. Perhaps the best aud most easily ap 
plied preventive is Pyrethrum powder; clothes 
packed away with a liberal dusting of this will 
escape the ravages of these little cloth eaters. 
LETTERS FROM THE COUSINS. 
Dear Uncle Mark:—I live in Dakota, the 
Territory which took your prize for the largest 
potato. We live a long way from the post 
office. There are but few settlers iu this part 
of Dakota at preseut, but there are thousands 
of cattle roving over the prairie: these cattle 
run wild all the year, their owuers not seeing 
them, except at the rouud up every Spring. 
The round-up is managed iu this way: the cow¬ 
boys ride over the country from one end to 
the other, driving all the cattle before them 
to various points agreed upon. Each cowboy 
tbeu separates from the herd all the cattle 
having his brand on them. They drive all 
these with their calves to headquarters, and 
brand the calves, then the cattle are all turned 
loose again to roam wherever they please I 
am a stock owner in a small way. I own one 
calf. My brother Ralph owns one too We 
expect some day they will make a good pair 
of work oxen. I wish to become a Cousin. 1 
am, dear Uncle Mark. Yours truly, 
HOMER W. WHITCOMB. 
Burdick Co., Dak. 
[You have written us an interesting account 
of the round up. We welcome you to our 
Club, and hope to hear from you often.— 
UNCLE MARK ] 
Dear Uncle Mark:— I would like to join 
the Y. H. Club very much. My papa takes 
your paper, and I enjoy reading the letters 
from the Cousins. I can tell Dora Ricks that 
the thermometer has been down to 3d below 
zero very often this Winter, and that we think 
it is very pleasant when it is only eight below. 
I have a very niea place to raise flowers, and 
1 like to raise them very much. Papa bought 
me a paper of Eschscbolt/.ia, and 1 think that 
it is a very pretty flower. 
I have a little dog, and I named him Watch; 
we Lhink very much of him. I help to raise 
chickens, and last Summer I raised a duck; 1 
named it Dicky, and when I would call it, it 
would come right to me, and would run alter 
ine, Last Summer l raised a Castor Bean, 
and it grew very large and tall, aud had very 
large leaves; I saved some seeds for the next 
year. 
We have a piano, and I take lessons from 
my large sister. I go to school wheu it is not 
too cold. The snow was very deep this Wiu 
ter. Papa is going to make me a nice flower 
bed. 1 am nine years old. Your little niece, 
BLANCHE MCELRATH. 
Dakota Co., Minn. 
Dear Uncle Mark:—I love to read the 
children’s department in the dear old Rural. 
I had a little garden last Summer, but did 
not have a good oue. It is bard to have a 
garden here, for the spot marked out for it is 
hard and has much lime iu it. 
I live on a farm, aud my papa is a farmer. 
He has two horses, two cows, a steer and a 
young calf. We have 40 hens aud chick* ns 
altogether; aud we got about six eggs a day 
during the cold weather. Papa has a saw¬ 
mill. My sister Millie wrote you a letter, 
aud it wus printed. You asked her to write 
again, but she has never written. 1 hope you 
have not taken my name off the Club list. 
Venango Co., Pa. katie jack. 
Dear Uncle Mark I thought I would tell 
you how my crops were last year. 1 plauted 
white rice (pop) corn and took it to the 
agricultural fair and it took the first premium. 
1 also planted the watermelon seeds sent from 
the Rural and musk melons of three sorts, 
but the Buprise was the best; some of the 
canteloupes were very good. I made the soil, 
for the melons, very flue, then put in a good 
supply of farm manure: and 1 kept the weeds 
out. I set out a bed of strawberries iu .Sep¬ 
tember, they looked very good in the Fall, 
before the ground froze, and I hope to have 
a good bed of them next Summer. 
We have a Hock of Southdown sheep of 
which I am very fond, last Spring wo raised 
a cosset lamb, it became very tame; I cut a 
basketful of turnips every day for the sheep. 
I have a Jersey bull, and 1 am bre * king him 
to lead, he is one year old. 
i have beeu at school all Wintor, it has 
closed now; I have to do chores and help my 
father at the wood pile. 1 ain 12 years of ago. 
Iam glad to hear how the Rural boys get 
along with their farming. I am very thank 
ful to Uncle Mark for ihe interest he takes iu 
us and for the seeds he sends us. 
I remain your nephew, 
Litchfield Co„ Conn, Robert m. colt. 
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. 
H. H. WARNER & CO, Rochester, N.Y. 
FOR 
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DISORDERS. 
$1.00 A BOTTLE. 
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Rev. w. S. BRATHWAITE, Red Bank, N. J., was 
cured of dyspepsia, and other stomach disorders, by 
Warner’s Tipimcanoe, The Best. 
FOR 
INDIGKSTION 
UNEQUA LED. 
$1.00 A BOTTLE. 
H. II. WARNER iSk CO., Rochester, N. Y'. 
Hon. D. D. S. BROWN, Rochester, N. Y., tried War 
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THE BLUE RIBBON 
Dentifrice 
And Quartet of German 
Lithographs sent upon re¬ 
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and express office address. 
Oiler good only 30 days, 
Famosa ChemlcalCo. Louisville 
GOLD MEDAL, PARIS, 187gt 
BAKER'S 
Warranted absolutely pure 
Coma, from which the exe'esa of 
Oil has been removed It has three 
times the strength of Cocoa mixed 
with f?larch, Arrowroot or Sugar, 
and Isthorcfoie far more economi¬ 
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cup. It la deliclotte, nourishing, 
strengthening, easily digested, and 
admirably adapted for invalids aa 
well as for persons in health. 
Sold by Grocers everywhere. 
W. BAKER & CO,, Dorcbester. Mass. 
LJE PACE’S 
LIQUID GLUE. 
UN EQUALLED FOR CEMENTING 
WOOD, GLASS, CHINA, PAPER. LEATHER. *C. 
AWARDED COLD MEDAL, LONDON 1883. 
Used by Miwm. & flnmliu Oigmi A l’mao Co.,Pullman 
Palace Cur Co,Ac. Mfd onlv by the RUSSIA 
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ERE. Samt>l<*T'm C»n» scut bv Mail. toe. 
As C w.°ss MILK FOOD 
J Tor Children PAST Teething. 
Write us for testimonials of the medi¬ 
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ANGLO-SWISS CONDENSED MILK CO. 
1\ O. Box 3713, Ntnv-York. 
$*27.00 Per Ton, F. O. B. 
A.T FALL 111 VElt, MASS!., 
KOIl 
CHURCH'S 
FISH & POTASH. 
ANALYSIS t 
Ammonia, ..... 5.08 per cent. 
Phosphoric Acid, .... 5.82 *• 
Potash.8.58 
Oliom leit, C. V. GOE88MANN, 
MANtlKACTlHlItn BV 
JOSEPH CHURCH A CO., 
167 lbs. Hag. TIVERTON, R. I. 
Address JOB HATHAWA Y, tleu’l Agent, 
iStlTP Brook, Muss, 
