Cut away the rough bark, only, before tapping, leaving bark sufficiently thick to hold the spout firmly to prevent leaking. The finest flavor and lightest color will be obtained by shallow tapping. Gather often, boil at once. Every delay in the process of evaporating sap will injure more or less the _quality_ of the sugar. Always strain your sap. Use felt strainers for syrup. Boil down to 11 pounds per gallon; test by a correct thermometer, and can hot to prevent crystalizing in bottom of the can. Give full gallon measure and ship only _standard_ goods to your best trade. Use a reliable thermometer. It is as indispensable in the sugar house as in the dairy. Use tin or painted buckets and the best improved metallic spout. The bucket cover has come to stay. Use them, they will save their cost in one season. Join your State Maple Sugar Makers’ Association, and attend the convention. Do not think that you know it all, for maple sugar making is a science about which you may learn something every season if you are observing. [Illustration: LARGE MAPLE SUGAR CAMP IN NORTHERN VERMONT.] RECIPES FOR USING MAPLE SWEETS IN COOKING; HOME CANDY MAKING, ETC. Maple Rolls. One quart of bread dough when it is moulded for the last raising, mould in a cup of maple sugar, ¼ teaspoonful of soda, 1 tablespoon of butter. Let it rise and mould again and cut out, rise and bake. These are very nice. Quick Tea Rolls. One egg, ½ cup maple sugar, 3 teaspoons of baking powder in flour enough to make a rather stiff batter, ⅓ cup of butter, 1 cup milk. Bake in hot gem pans in a hot oven. Maple Breakfast Rolls. One egg, ½ cup each of milk and cream, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 3 teaspoons granulated maple sugar, add flour till about as thick as griddle cakes. Fritters. Three eggs, 1 tablespoonful sweet cream, ½ teaspoonful salt, 2 cups of sweet milk, 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder, about 4 cups of flour. Mix the baking powder thoroughly with the flour, add the flour to the milk, add the salt, then the eggs well beaten. Fry in hot lard. Serve hot, with warm maple sap syrup. Baked Apples. Pare and core some good tart apples, put them in a shallow earthen dish; fill the center where the core has been taken out with granulated maple sugar, add water to cover bottom of dish. Bake in a moderate oven until soft, basting often with the syrup. Maple Apple Pie. For one pie: ¾ cup of lard, 3 or 4 good sour apples which have been pared and sliced; 1½ cups flour, ½ teaspoonful salt, 1 cup maple sugar. Mix the lard, flour and salt thoroughly, add just enough cold water to work it lightly together; the less you handle pie crust the better it is—just enough to get it into shape to roll. Roll and put on plate, spread the apple and add the sugar. Bake in a moderate oven. Apple Pudding.