School’s Out, And It’s Maple Syrup Season
by George Holcomb • Transcribed by Betty McClave • Edited by Alex Brooks
Monday March 11, 1850: This forenoon I and Geo P. went with oxen and sled over across by Philander Hatches on to West Hill to Mr. Horton’s to get a load rye straw and he would not let me have any unless I would take the short headings and I would not take it. We called to Mr. Ezekiel Knapp’s and got a load of eighty one bundles and paid one dollar and 62½ and this afternoon Geo P. took the one horse wagon and carried 4½ bushel ears corn to Hancock Village mill and left to be ground to feed his fat sheep and I sent 20 cts to buy book to put with 80 cts worth small books that we had bought to Pittsfield, all for John F. to give his scholars the last day of school. This afternoon I tended to carrying up hams to H.P. Wylie’s and put in his smoke house to be smoked, and fetched away some that was smoked.
Tuesday: This forenoon I and Geo P. went into my Rodgers swamp with the ox team and sled and chopped three small pine trees and drew home and this afternoon I dug out pine sap troughs.
Wednesday: I made pine sap troughs and began to soak barrels and pails for sap. Today John F. school is out.
Friday: I and John F. and Rensselaer Sheldon this forenoon tapped 31 sap trees and got a load of wood.
Saturday: I and John F. tapped sap trees and we gathered over three barrels of sap. Today Geo P. and his two sisters returned home from Sand Lake. While Geo P. was to Sand Lake he went to Troy and stayed to Orra Holcomb’s one night, he got his miniature taken and paid one dollar and 50 cents set in a frame, and he got boosums to Bennett’s and collars to Valkenburgh for our people and others to make.
Tuesday: We gathered two half barrels sap and boiled sap and John F. boiled sap all night. Tonight Geo P. taken quite unwell.
Monday: Today quite a snow storm. I and John F. boiled sap and we drew three loads of wood out of the meadow that Patrick chopped when he worked for us. Today Geo P. is quite unwell and we sweat him and give him phisic.
This forenoon I and Geo P. went into my Rodgers swamp with the ox team and sled and chopped three small pine trees and drew home and this afternoon I dug out pine sap troughs.
Wednesday: I made pine sap troughs and began to soak barrels and pails for sap. Today John F. school is out.
Friday: I and John F. and Rensselaer Sheldon this forenoon tapped 31 sap trees and got a load of wood.
Saturday: I and John F. tapped sap trees and we gathered over three barrels of sap. Today Geo P. and his two sisters returned home from Sand Lake. While Geo P. was to Sand Lake he went to Troy and stayed to Orra Holcomb’s one night, he got his miniature taken and paid one dollar and 50 cents set in a frame, and he got boosums to Bennett’s and collars to Valkenburgh for our people and others to make.
Sunday: We gathered two half barrels sap and boiled sap and John F. boiled sap all night. Tonight Geo P. taken quite unwell.
Monday: Today quite a snow storm. I and John F. boiled sap and we drew three loads of wood out of the meadow that Patrick chopped when he worked for us. Today Geo P. is quite unwell and we sweat him and give him phisic.
