Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1856-04-26
4 New Sugar.

4 short time since we published says the
Washington Union, an extract of letter from
a gentleman residing in Provo City Utah
Territory, to Hon. J. NJ. Be-nhisel, giving an
account of the manner in which a new kind
oil sugar had been made in that Territory from
| white substance found on cotton evood trees
and somewhat resembling honey dew. Since
| then, a cake Of this sugar, which had been
! submitted to a chemist 10 be anna y2ed. We
| give below the result of this test:
| The physical characters OF the substance
resemble much the maple sugar OF our country
| 1t has however. a dark layer on one side
| which is less sweet that the lighter col0red
one, owing probably TO the extractive matter
! eyaporated " ith the leaves ofthe cotton wood
! tree that have been boiled down with the
| liquor. The sugar is not chFystsllzed, but
| granular and porous. and appears TO contain
considerable portion Of moiasses. II Is of Il
! clammy touch unlike the cane or maple sugar.
and its taste is second 10 that oil the last two
mentioned kinds. The chemical characters
| oil tins sugar are as follows:
! Il have ascertaned. to my fui! satisfaction,
| that it is grape sugar. or similar TO that
| made from starch. Tromner's copper test
! has proved beyond doubt that It Is not cane
! sugar. A solution of this sugar. with the adj
| dtion Of potash I've and sutPhate OF copper,
! will, after few minutes boiling, change the
green hydrate Of copper thus produced into
| al orange ub- oxide copper, even II the cold
! at an extremely great dliutlon, lone grain to
! an ounce Of waterl while for the sake OF
i'm sDlu Of +rpa ataI
| in the same way with copper, no change OF
| color could be detected. either by boiling OF
| after standing some DAYS Regarding the
origin Of th1s sugar which, from the details
! given by yonr friends, appears to 5.e distfibut
| ed ever large district IN Utah Territory. so
! that the inhabitantS were able 10 produce
| sevefa. thousand pounds OF sugar IN a very
! short period, aud by the most simple process
| such as collecting the leaves OF the cotton
wood, washing OF the sediment. and concen-
| tTatn9 and evaporatlng the lqHor, was
much astonlsned at hrSt when reading the
&C, cunt, and after some reflection as TO the
causes that had produced this sugar rain,
which some of Your friends appear to attribute
TO i mamma similar to that upon which God
made the Jews suhsst " huIe in he desert Of
Arabia. and which by special favor the same
! Betus has granted to the Mormons, | found
that the formation Of this sugar could be eX
| planned, physiotogic ica!iy, upoA natural princi-
pies, and IN the following manner:
ut IS a wei!-known fact that the sap Of
| trees will continue 10 circulate thrOught the
cellular tissue IS long the Organic lie is
sustained by heat and light. whlie d sudden
change IN the temperature "lll produce an
interruption in the circulation. ana thereby
d chemical metamorphose. Il has teen
observed, also, that the leaves of many trees
! and shrubs will, in consequence OF such sud-
den changes as from very hot dry TO cold
| night, secrete and cover them with d sweet
| substance exactly IN the manner described
! by the collectors IN Utah have observed
| the same phenomenon in the south Of Ger
many in many butternut, walnut and chest
| nut trees. Therefore. it is disease in the
trees, or an organic disorder called forth by
| the decomposition or secretion OF those mat
| ters required for the nourlshmeIt and sup
! port oil the vegetable life.
AS an illustration OF the chemical change,
| | will mention n It's natural state any sugar:
| vet becomes sweet when attacked by fI0>t;
| the lulce thereby becoming decomposed and
| cony eFted into sugar Properly speaking, 1t
| is the tt3aeW which is SO often observed on
! many trees. lsuch as the black ald'r, linden
aud rose bush, occasionally on the beach and
OAK and which corresponds with the secre-
ton OF sugar on many leaves, which are less
protected, slthuug very tenderiy construct
| ed by nature, and are therefore affected easily
al sudden change. and are also exposed to
this arrangement. as regards the great qaantl-
! ty OF the sugar gathered. which may he sur
! prisingly large at first, nevertheless may be
expIalneds The vegetable juice contains IN
the tall oSthe year the greatest quantity OF
starch, which is SO easily converted by the
natural as well as artificial process into
sugar.
1t may not be out Of place here to remark
that. in consequence OF the formation OF sugar
mould, lice and other insects are created on
hose trees. II a steady rain does not soon
after the secretion re0ove all the sugar from
| them. the miid,w is therefore not the cause,
but the result, from the creating OF those par
asites."