"So if you count the rings you can tell how old the tree is," said
Donald. "Isn't that great!"

[Illustration: End of a log.]

"What time of the year do the trees grow the most?" asked Uncle Robert.

"In the spring I should think," said Frank. "That's when the sap begins
to run."

"What is sap?"

"It must be the water that the trees take up from the ground," said
Frank.

"We've tapped some maple trees for sap," said Donald.

"And we could see it run right out of the tree," said Susie.

"I've told the children how we used to make maple sugar in New England,"
said Mrs. Leonard. "Do you remember, Robert, what a quantity of sap it
took to make just a little sugar?"

"Yes, and I also remember how long I thought it took to boil it down
into the wax I was so fond of."

"About thirty gallons of sap can be taken from one tree each year," said
Mr. Leonard.

"But I should think that would hurt the tree," said Frank.