The Symphony Of The Seasons (page 1)
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter -- these four seasons following in ordered succession, form the members of a symphony that Nature Folk and Farm Folk live by and dance to. Being close to Nature, we are able to feel each mood of the seasons. Each season has its own character if not charm.
To the farmer his year naturally begins in the
SPRING
Spring is when the feed mows are getting very low and the corn silos appear to be almost empty.
Spring is when the March wind blows less cold and has that certain feel and promise of rebirth. The robin is heard in the apple tree and overhead the honking Wild Geese returning in V formation from their winter retreat down south.
Spring is when the snow begins to disappear from the south-looking slopes and that frozen stream comes alive with a boisterous roar as it leaps over its restraining banks, leaving winter debris in its wake. The willow branches reflect the yellow of the new sunlight and little boys and girls screech on their willow whistles.
Spring is when the horses and cattle frisk and frolic around the dwindling strawstack and the free-range chickens loudly proclaim their freedom.
The magic of Spring is proclaimed by those tiny Peepers in chorus down there in the swamp and along the stream. This magic is further enhanced by the cheerful little frogs in the millpond.
The first of the spring jobs at our place was sugarmaking. The time has come. Mild sunny days and cool, frosty nights combine to make good sap weather. So we hitch the horses to the sleigh, loaded with sap buckets, spiles and us boys. With Pa driving, we are off to the woods, our sugar bush, the "Back Forty", on our merry way, to tap the trees. We usually hang about two hundred buckets. If we have good days, we will gather the sap twice a day.
Back at the barn, we would ready the sleigh or the stone-boat with a special large wooden barrel that has been specially fitted for gathering sap. Now, down to the woods, where we would follow a route that allows us to service as many trees as possible for each stop. With a large pail in each hand, we would go from tree to tree, emptying the sap from the buckets on the trees into the gathering pails, then back to the gathering tank on the sleigh or stone-boat, until it would be determined that the tank was quite full enough. To add to the hazards of this otherwise exciting job, the bush is beset with numerous sink holes and swales filled with icy slush and water, camouflaged with new-fallen snow. Often we would arrive back home at the end of the day with cold wet feet and wet clothing.
At the sugar shanty, which was part of the farm workshop, the precious sap would be off-loaded into a holding tank, a part of the processing equipment, to wait its turn in the evaporator pans, and the processing that would produce golden maple syrup and, or, tan-brown maple sugar.
Our processing method was somewhat unique at that time. It consisted of using high pressure steam to heat the sap for evaporation. From the primitive "arch" evaporator pan method, then in use, Pa devised a method of heating with steam derived from a used steam boiler. The existing pans were modified to take a length of iron pipe made to serpentine throughout their length and width. The high pressure steam flowed through this system, with the condensate dripping into an open supply tank. From this tank the water was hand-pumped back into the boiler and used over again. This process did produce a better quality of product with no risk of scorching. I often had the job of manning this pump as well as sometimes stoking the boiler with soft coal or dry wood to keep up the steam pressure.
After several years of successfully using this equipment, it was found that the old boiler needed more repair and maintenance than we could afford. For this reason, we abandoned the steam method and reverted to the direct heat method formerly used.
Sugarmaking in those days was not a money producer. There was a lot of hard work. The yield was too uncertain. It required forty gallons of maple sap to produce a gallon of syrup that sold for the price of two dollars a gallon. I believe that we decided to let someone else make the maple syrup.
MAPLE SUGAR
Just a bit of sugar ---
A condensed ray of sunlight
Caught by myriad quivering leaves;
The life-blood of a hundred trees.
Just some carbohydrates ---
Formed by rains and melting snows;
Caught by leaves and root-thread spears;
The secret of one billion years.
Just an essence of Spring ---
Distilled from violets and grasses;
Sweet warm earth, balmy breezes;
Blue-birds and frequent freezes.
Just a bit of Nature ---
With the added human touch -
Breath of wood-fire, scorching hot;
Taste of blackened pan or pot.
Just a sylvan nugget ---
Flavoured with little red-breast's song;
Distilled from Nature's Beauties -
Dew of morn and Joy of duties.