Houma Ceres. [volume] (Houma, Parish of Terrebonne, La.) 1855-18??, 1855-08-02
Sugar.

0US0AS OV OAtOu0AsOSy uSSO lA SsOAy
country of the habitable globe; and form.
ing, as it does, one of our chief staples,
supplies its commercial demand mainly
from the juice Of the cane, which con-
tains it in greater quantity and purity than
any other plant, and offers greater facili-
ties for its extracti.s@ Although sugar,
identical in its character, exists in the
maple, the cocoa nut, and the beet.root,
and is economically obtained to a consid-
cradle extent, yet it is not suficic ntly pure
to admit Of ready separation from the for
eign matter combined with it, at least, by
tho means that producers usually have at
hand. fs 5s ..-
The early history Of cane sugar, like
that Of many other necessaries Of life, is
involved in great obscurity. 1t appears
to have been imperfectly known to the
Greeks and Romans, as Theophrastus,
who lived 800 years before Christ, de.
scribes it as a sort Of "honey extracted
from canes Of reed;" and Strabo, who
states on the authority Of Nearchus, the
commander Of the fleet in the expedition
Of Alexander the Great, says that ''reeds
ia India yield honey without bees"
Although India and and Cochin China
are the countries usually cited as the ma
tive homes of the sugar cane, where this
plant grows wild, nevertheless, Roxburgh,
in his 'sFlora Indica," declares that its in.
digenious habitat in the East Indies is un-
known. 1t occurs in wild state in many
parts of the South Sea Islands, especially
ia Taliti. but in no part Of the American
continent, Notwithstanding contrary state
ments have been made. Il is true, q spe.
Of cane is found in Central America, ap-
parently Indigenous, which is rich in
sacharine juice, and is very readily crush.
ed by rollers; but it is not known with Ger
tainty when twas discovered, nor wheth.
er or not it is the result of selfsown seeds
of some variety Of the Eastern cane. The
cultivated sugar-cane, let it be known
very rarely produces seeds. although il
sometimes occurs even in our Southern
States, ga,.s,.a 4,as,g a4sa sada,sta, o,.5.
The culture and manufacture of sugar
it is stated, were introduced into Europe
from the East, BY the Saracens, soon aftel
their conquest in the ninth century; and i
lis known that the Arabs caused the exten
sion of tho cultivation Of this plant tt
Rhodes, Crete, and Sicily-nay, even t.
Calabria, and Spain. 1t is also stated b,
the Venetian and Amal6an historians tina
their countsymen imported sugar from 81
cily, in the twelfth century, At cheaper
rate than they could obtain it from Egypt
where it was then extensively made. Th'
first sugar plantations established in Spail
were Il Valencia, but they were soon af
ter extended to Grenada and Murcia.-
Prince Henry, the navigator, carrie sugar
cane from Sicily 10 Madeira. Toward
the end Of the fifteenth and the commence
ment of the sixteenth century, twas con
veyed to the Canary Islands, where plan
tations were formed, especially on Conner
Iaad Grad Canary. From Gomera it wa
; introduced into the West Indies by Colum
bus, in his second voyage to America i
1893, and soon after become diffased owe
Mexico, Guiana, and Brazil. It was cu]
tivated to considerable extent in St. Dc
mingo in 1905, where it succeeded bette
: than in any Of the islands. In 1913 ther
were % plantations in that colony estab
lished BY the Spaniards, where IN abun
: dance Of sugar asmade, which for q Ion
period, formed the principal part Of th
European supplies. Barbados, the Ok
' est English settlement in the West1ndie
aibegan t. export sugar IN Ie4s; and