Notching the maple trees

The Amerindians were the first to notch the maple-tree using their tomahawk to make a gash on the trunk of the tree. To collect the sap, they inserted a "goudrelle" carved in a piece of cedar (thuja) and a recipient made of birch-bark. With the arrivals of the Europeans into the New-World, technics have evolved a lot. The tomahawk has been replaced by the drill, the "goudrelle" by the chalumeau and the birch-bark containers by pails. Formerly, the maple sap collect was done manually, every bucket hung on each maple-tree was checked and emptied to a barrel placed on a big  horse-sleigh. At the  first  spring  thaw,   

in February or March, the sugar -maker begins to collect the sap. In order to obtain a large quantity of maple water, the night temperature must fall below 0°C (32°F) and the following day must be warm, over 0°C (32°F). Frequent changes in the atmospheric pressure, such as snowing and raining, also help to get the sap flowing. To-day, collecting maple-water is done mecanically throught a network of pipes linked to each maple- tree which areconnected to a principal pipe wich is itself connected to a pump station. A negative pressure pump raises themaple-water throughout the day, making   it  a  lot easier  to