Cummington, Massachusetts 1857

[Hop Kiln Road]

Editors Note: This is a verbatim transcription of a journal I recently discovered with original spelling, punctuation and terms. The Lawrence Smith family ran a farm in Cummington in western Massachusetts. The season is spring 1857 and they set 530 buckets.




Sunday, February 22, 1857
Windy northwest flying clouds. Looks like March. Sap would run well.
Morning 26F Noon 43F Evening 29F

Monday, February 23, 1857
Great Sap Day. tapped 400 trees. George Tinker drew wood and tubs.
Morning 30F Noon 50F Evening 35F

Tuesday, February 24, 1857
Finished tapping the trees. (530)
Sap ran fast, gathered 200 buckets boiled till midnight.
Harmony cleaned dooryard
Morning 25F Noon 56F Evening 50F

Wednesday, February 25, 1857
Gathered 175 buckets sap. The weather looks like April, snow
nearly all gone. Calvin laid wall, Cynthia and Father sugared off
about 100 lbs.
Morning 52F Noon 63F Evening 34F

Thursday, February 26, 1857
Father and Cynthia sugared off all day. High winds and colder.
Morning 26F Noon 30F Evening 19F

Friday, February 27, 1857
Finished sugaring off, have made 315 lbs, cold and cold. Sold Old Benton cow to Mills Brown 40
Morning 12F Noon 29F Evening 24F

[Hop Kiln Road]

Saturday, February 28, 1857
Snowed last night 6 inches blew hard today Charles came down after his sap tubs
Morning 25F Noon 30F Evening 25F

Sunday, March 1, 1857
A little more moderate Father Lewis came to Uncle Asas to night from Canada. commences snowing
Morning 22F Noon 45F Evening 23F

Monday, March 2, 1857
A severe Northeastern snow storm. Wind blows hard. Cold. Sold the sugar to Mr Lewis for 14 cts per pound.
Morning 14F Noon 21F Evening 7F

Tuesday, March 3, 1857
Clear cold day Father and Cynthia mended and oiled harness in the shop
Morning 0F Noon 16F Evening 4F

Wednesday, March 4, 1857
George Tinker drew sugarwood Father went to Chester Village with sugar Mick produced a buck lamb Selden Ferguson and mother Wright visited
Morning 9F Noon 45F Evening 29F

Thursday, March 5, 1857
Speck face ewe had a buck lamb. Cynthia went to mill for Edeniseh who bought a load of carrots. signs of a storm.
Morning 17F Noon 45F Evening 32F

[Hop Kiln Road]

As a comparison, $.14 a pound for maple sugar 164 years ago and $2.10 for bulk syrup today (not quite apples to apples) is an annual price increase of 1.66%. So in real dollars, they were making more than we do today?

[MapleLady]

Thank you for sharing this insight into the past with us! Does the journal continue with sugaring further into March? It looks as though the family collected and boiled for one week and boiled to sugar, not syrup. Did I read this correctly?

[Sugar Bear]

Editors Note: This is a verbatim transcription of a journal I recently discovered with original spelling, punctuation and terms. The Lawrence Smith family ran a farm in Cummington in western Massachusetts. The season is spring 1857 and they set 530 buckets.





Tuesday, February 24, 1857
Finished tapping the trees. (530)
Sap ran fast, gathered 200 buckets boiled till midnight.
Harmony cleaned dooryard
Morning 25F Noon 56F Evening 50F

Wednesday, February 25, 1857
Gathered 175 buckets sap. The weather looks like April, snow
nearly all gone. Calvin laid wall, Cynthia and Father sugared off
about 100 lbs.
Morning 52F Noon 63F Evening 34F



Too bad we never get days like this anymore.

O to have lived back in the days of global warming ... must have been nice!

[Sugar Bear]

As a comparison, $.14 a pound for maple sugar 164 years ago and $2.10 for bulk syrup today (not quite apples to apples) is an annual price increase of 1.66%. So in real dollars, they were making more than we do today?

Yea ... I was just thinking earlier this morning how the hard working ( and extremely resourceful ) sugar makers of this region of the world are getting rooked by the devaluing of the dollar.

I guess Patrick Mahomes 10 year $450,000,000.00 contract had something to do with it.

Yes for all you political/economic wizards out their I know we live in a market driven economy.

BUT ... if Patrick Mahomes or Tom Brady want real syrup on their pancakes ... well poop ... they should have to pay more for it!

And so should anybody else!

[Hop Kiln Road]

Maple Lady, much more to come as the 1857 season ran into April.

[Hop Kiln Road]

Friday, March 6, 1857
A Son born to Calvin and Aurelice. Snow fell about 4 inches. Cynthia Louisa and Harmony went up to Tinkers visiting. sap run quite briskly this morning but grew colder and froze up. gathered 85 buckets sap
Morning 34F Noon 46F Evening 17F

Saturday, March 7, 1857
Father boiled sap. squally and cold. windy. baby weighed 18 1/2
Morning 15F Noon 27F Evening 8F

Sunday, March 8, 1857
clear, cool and fine. George and Cynthia went to meeting quite good sleighing
Morning -2F Noon 30F Evening 6F

Monday, March 9, 1857
Father carried Louisa and Elma up to Charles Wrights on a visit. some snow falling
Morning -1F Noon 30F Evening 29F

Tuesday, March 10, 1857
Sylvester Root is visiting at Uncle Asas. Calvin sold his 3 year old steer for $115. to Fargo Machail split wood.
Morning 17F Noon 24F Evening 12F

Wednesday, March 11, 1857
Corded some wood in wood house. all hands visited at Uncle Asas to night
Morning -4F Noon 46F Evening 29F

Thursday, March 12, 1857
Milton took dinner with us. Louisa came home this evening. have just got better after two days stomach ache
Morning 17F Noon 24F Evening 8F

[Amber Gold]

Thanks for posting Bruce. This is a cool read.

[bigschuss]

Too bad we never get days like this anymore.

O to have lived back in the days of global warming ... must have been nice!

Can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not.

Indeed, 4 years ago or so...February was super mild and we had temps. very much like that. I recall it was in the 70's. Then in March, it was back to the 20's and a few Nor-Easters hit.

[bigschuss]

Thanks for posting Bruce. This is a cool read.

Agree. Cool agree.

Cummington is just up the road from me. Neat to see some local history. Thanks for sharing.

[berkshires]

Agree. Cool agree.

Cummington is just up the road from me. Neat to see some local history. Thanks for sharing.

There's a mention of Chester Village, too! That's where I'm located. Woo-hoo, Chester is famous. :)

Keep it coming, I'm enjoying the installments.

GO

[Hop Kiln Road]

Friday, March 13, 1857
All Uncle Olivers family took supper and visited in the evening pleasant Received a letter from Mr Lewis giving another cent for lb for sugar
Morning 12F Noon 46F Evening 24F

Saturday, March 14, 1857
Finer weather. sap runs some. George tapped his trees at Uncle Olivers. made a storm tub for Daniel Aldermum. no regular sap weather for the last 16 days
Morning 17F Noon 50F Evening 32F

Sunday, March 15, 1857
Lousia and myself went to meeting with a sleigh. one third bare ground. Sap runs tolerably well
Morning 21F Noon 45F Evening 32F

Monday, March 16, 1857
Gathered 120 buckets sap old Fanny had a ewe lamb some rainy this afternoon
Morning 30F Noon 52F Evening 38F

Tuesday, March 17, 1857
Bored over the trees. gathered 65 buckets sap. Leap Can produced a fine ewe lamb.
Morning 29F Noon 43F Evening 26F

Wednesday, March 18, 1857
Sap runs well this after noon signs of rain gathered 45 buckets sap cut scions for grafting. Robins have come
Morning 27F Noon 52F Evening 42F

Thursday, March 19, 1857
Gathered 125 buckets sap. made 6 sap tubs. rained last night from southeast cloudy and some rainy to day. old close wool ewe had a pair of twin ewe lambs
Morning 42F Noon 52F Evening 40F

[Hop Kiln Road]

Friday, March 20, 1857
Cleared off in the night with some snow. froze a little sap run finely this afternoon. made 10 saptubs. Father and Cynthia sugared off. have now made 675 lbs
Morning 30F Noon 38F Evening 28F

Saturday, March 21, 1857
Gathered and boiled 70 buckets sap. had to cut it out with a stick made 20 new tubs and tapped the old trees in the woods. wind Northwest. squalls of snow to night. sap commenced running this evening and ran nearly all night.
Morning 27F Noon 39F Evening 37F

Sunday, March 22, 1857
Sap run powerfully. rather cool sunny with wind Northwest.
Morning 27F Noon 39F Evening 35F

Monday March 23, 1857
Gathered 150 buckets sap Calvin stacked with sugar for Pittsfield southeast wind cold and sour
Morning 27F Noon 39F Evening 35F

Tuesday, March 24, 1857
Gathered 120 buckets sap. Elden Burke was here to see about Apple trees for the Parsonage cloudy with a little rain sap run all last night
Morning 35F Noon 54F Evening 40F

Wednesday, March 25, 1857
Gathered 100 buckets sap Calvin arrived from Pittsfield got 15 cts for sugar washed all the tubs.
Morning 36F Noon 43F Evening 29F

Thursday, March 26, 1857
Sap ran finely bored over a few trees. Gathered 30 buckets sap drew some wood. too cold on the hills for sap
Morning 24F Noon 39F Evening 29F

Friday, March 27, 1857
Gathered 150 buckets sap boiled nearly all night
Morning 29F Noon 43F Evening 35F

Saturday, March 28, 1857
Gathered 120 buckets sap. sold Bowen of Peru 400 lbs sugar at 13 1/2 cents per lb. sirruped down about midnight.
Morning 32F Noon 46F Evening 34F

Sunday, March 29, 1857
Sap runs well. some cloudy
Morning 30F Noon 48F Evening 40F

[bigschuss]

Thursday, March 26, 1857
....bored over a few trees....

Any idea what that is referring to?

[Hop Kiln Road]

I think they were re-drilling some of their tap holes, trying to "freshen" them.

[bigschuss]

I think they were re-drilling some of their tap holes, trying to "freshen" them.

Got it. Thank you.

[Hop Kiln Road]

Monday, March 30, 1857
Gathered 100 buckets sap the weather looks like spring. grafted the cherries.
Morning 30F Noon 50F Evening 36F

Tuesday, March 31, 1857
Beautiful sunny day. too warm for sugaring. sugared off in shop. have made 1353 lb sugar
Morning 32F Noon 54F Evening 38

Wednesday, April 1, 1857
Father went to Bowens with sugar. plowed a bed for peas. and stuck the brush. Elder Burke and Thomas Archibald called to see us. April showers.
Morning 32F Noon 54F Evening 40F

Thursday, April 2, 1857
Cleared off cold last night windy and blustering. drew some slabs from the mill bored over some trees.
Morning 9F Noon 24F Evening 16F

Friday, April 3, 1857
Sunny and still. signs of snow. bored the trees. Cynthia went to Worthington for money from Coit
Morning 12F Noon 43F Evening 28F

Saturday, April 4, 1857
sap run finely. gathered 100 buckets sap. beautiful moonlight this evening. Father went up to pay Albert this evening
Morning 29F Noon 60F Evening 56F

Sunday, April 5, 1857
Sap run fast all day. wind southwest, cloudy. boiled sap till 3 oclock this morning.
Morning 29F Noon 60F Evening 56F

[Hop Kiln Road]

Monday, April 6, 1857
Gathered 160 buckets sap. a powerful rain from the South. Wind shift to night to Northwest. grows colder
Morning 54F Noon 58F Evening 35F

Tuesday, April 7, 1857
Father Wright and Matilda visited to day and had a sugar eat. turned out the water from the tubs and washed them
Morning 20F Noon 40F Evening 25F

Wednesday, April 8, 1857
Olin & Clarke came up to day for a sugar eat. sap runs well
Morning 20F Noon 45F Evening 38F

Thursday, April 9, 1857
Gathered 130 buckets sap. warm day. this is the last of sugaring. sap begins to taste budily drew a load of hay from Hills
Morning 32F Noon 62F Evening 38F

Friday, April 10, 1857
Drew in the sap tubs grafs begins to grow. took Jenny Lind to Harry Root's Derby. Raining form Northeast.
Morning 45F Noon 56F Evening 41F

Saturday, April 11, 1857
Washed some of the tubs. have made 1650 lb sugar
Morning 40F Noon 56F Evening 41F

Sunday, April 12, 1857
Rainy to day some went to meeting with wagons very muddy
Morning 33F Noon 67F Evening 39F

Monday, April 13, 1857
Finished washing and storing tubs. Turned all the sheep to grass get a pretty good living Father went to society meeting a little rainy tonight.
Morning 33F Noon 55F Evening 43F


1650 lbs of sugar from 530 buckets is, I think, a little over a quart a tap? They averaged 14 cents and so grossed $231, 164 years ago, while birthing lambs and grafting fruit trees, keeping their focus on subsistence. It was clear they really had no idea what the weather would be like the next day, nor that in several short years their world would dramatically change.

"Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose"
Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, 1849

[ecolbeck]

Curious to know if there is information on what technology they had for boiling their sap? Was it cauldrons over an open fire? It must have taken them many, many hours to make that much sugar.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

This an awesome read, thanks for sharing.