Thus it will be seen that in the days gone by much work, and some ingenuity were needed to get ready for sugaring. In those days the sugar season called for hard work from the men and boys also who were always required to do their part in gathering the nearby sap and tending the fires. But there were two sources of intense enjoyment for the boys which largely compensated for the tired legs in carrying the sap, and burnt faces and hands in tending fires. [Illustration: SUGAR HOUSE INTERIOR. BOILING SAP WITH PANS AND HEATER; NOW SLIGHTLY OUT OF DATE.] These were sugaring off times, one of which came any day towards night, when the sap was gathered in, and father gave permission to take some of the sweetest boiling from the big syrup kettle, and sugar off in the little four quart kettle, which mother would kindly let us take to the boiling place for that purpose. Some live coals were raked from the big fire and the little kettle with its precious sweet was placed thereon, and carefully watched until the sugar would blow through a twig loop or lay on snow. The sugar was very dark and often contained bits of charcoal that had fallen into the big kettles in boiling, but that did not matter; it was sweet and the feast always a delightful one. The other occasion was, in a measure, a sort of state performance and generally occurred at the close of a good run of sap, with fifteen or twenty buckets of syrup on hand. Early in the morning the biggest kettle was taken from the boiling place, carefully washed and set on three large stones. It was then filled about two-thirds full of syrup and a fire started. When milk warm, six or eight quarts of milk, with half a dozen well beaten eggs were added to the syrup to “cleanse it.” Just before boiling was the skimming time, when a pailful or more of dark thick scum would be taken from the top of the syrup. About noon the boys, and oftentimes the girls also would gather around the kettle to see it boil and taste the sweet as it slowly thickened to sugar; but not until about two o’clock in the afternoon would it be thick enough to lay on snow. In sugaring off with the little kettle we did not always have as much sugar as we wanted, but when the big kettle was on, we ate grained or waxed sugar, and hot sugar and doughnuts, until we wanted no more. Only those who have had these experiences can realize the intense enjoyments of the sugar seasons of the years gone by. [Illustration: MODERN SAP EVAPORATOR IN OPERATION.]