The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1856-12-11
Dgar: It's Qualities; and Which is the
Cheapest

Ii shU6-Su2df was TIC dlIicle iHlSHucu ny
the Hebrew kene translated calanans and
street. cane land this is, at the least, quite
doubtful-then the oldest mention Of this
now common sweet is to be found in Ex-
odus, 30th chapter and Esd verse. But the
first mention of sugar, relative to which there
can be question. is found in Herodotus,
about b. c. AIS. The Greeks called the
article at first the honey Of canes, Indian
s0h, and saecharon, sugar. The term
Indian salt" is noticeable. 1t seems, be-
sides pointing to India the original coun-
try Of the cane, to show that sugar had been
in high degree clarified and crystallized
even then as it could not otherwise be com
pared to salt Galen very gravely prescribes
sugar as an internal remedy in some diseases
1t was not known to Germany ard Britain
until the Crusades; nor it considered a
necessary Of life until tea and coffee had
come into general use.
The Arabs have the credit Of first con
centrating the Juice of sugar by boiling.
And the process of sugar refining com
1nunicated to the people Of Europe in 1908
by Venetian-probably borrowed by him
from the Chinese. The lovers Of candy will
be surprised to hear that, - the present
sense Of the word it did not exist until more
than a century after the discovery of Amer
lea by Columbus Our ancestors had not
tie privilege of killing time by mumbling
gum-dTOps, koeeages and creoha-sttcks minus
IRE cream; but then they saved their teeth
temper and stomachs, for more substantial
occasions.
There are many species of sugar-some
Of them obtained from variety of sources
The most COMPREHENSION found
also in the beet and other roots in
the sap-of the maple, walnut and birch and
v.alI hat - we
sugar! Chemistry kindly steps in and in
torms us that it is made up, in its purest
forms, Of tacelee parts coai-dua and eleren
l1a1ts acater-nothing more, and nothing
less a great heat drives off the water
leaving the coal in black mass.
GRAPE-SUGAR is that found in rasins, and
Of course in the juice of the grape, as well
as in other fruits, and in honey. 1t is coal
dzfst f,ceice parts, eater ttcefee parts, and is
less sweet and crystalline than the former
variety Another form of sugar is found
in the drug mamma a fourth in the licor-
ice-root; fifth in mushrooms sixth in
animal muscle; and
The juice pressed from the sugar-cane
Is solution of sugar III water with yari-
Gus vegetable and mineral impurities, such
2uld naturally be found in the sap Of
plants. The process Of manufacture has
IN combination in the sugar itself, and to
get rid of the impurities of the juice. 1t is
seldom that either of these ends is attained
az, the sugar plantations. Owing also to
the speedy fermentation of the juice if
elected, to too long and frequent exposure
to the air, and to burning, much material
which might afford an article of the first
quality is turned out deteriorated and greatly
Inferior that writer has styled the
af.t.. Il
eiiectual means of converting pure sugar
into 0101t1sses and Scuna''
1t IS generally known that molasses con
sists of the DRAWINGS from the sugar after it
has undergone crystallization. 1t necessa-
rily contains larger share of impure mat
ters than any sugar; although many of
the lower grades of the latter, as is
easily seen, are still full of molasses, and
are very far from being pure. The im-
proved methods now adopted by some of
the planters, both secure larger per cent
age OF sugar from the juice, and that of
better quality. The following is good
rule for Judging Of the grade and value Of
the article as it is imported, that is. of ram
or naascocado sugar; namely, The more
coarsey granular, the harder, drier and
winter, the greater the value OF the sugar"
OF all the grades, the white Havana is best,
refined
In refining, the sugar is re dissolved, puri
fed by filtering through bones burned and
crushed, then again concentrated, but by
mSdns of a vacuum apparatus. and there
fore al a low degree OF heat. The syrup Is
then poured into moulds, crystalhzes, IS
drained (the DRAWINGS furnishing the syr
ups new SO much in vogue J, and the crys
taIline mass is dried, when it is ready for the
market
Ii to be sold as loaf, the mass, as it comes
from the mould, is wrapped in purple paper
and then forms one Of those pendulous cones
of sweetness that in DAYS of yore were wont
TO ornament the grocer's ceiling though
now, alas rapidly giving place 10 the bar
rels of g coffees," !" crushed, Ne, that dis
figure his floor. Much of the loaf is now
broken up in coarse mill, thus forming the
crushed" article. If this is cracked up
into its individual crystals, and then sifted
free from the finer dust, it gives the '.granu-
lated" sugar if ground to a fine -four, the
pulyerized.' The first of these two is .
tainly a pure and convenier..srm tor use
tie second looks as If II s.Slded an excellent
chance for ADJ I, alton. Coffee sugars
are made fra. poorer Stock-that which can
not be ,ade into dry and perfect grained
suaA--or from such stock mixed with the
heaviest portions of the syrup obtained from
previous processes. Its value is according to
its wilderness and grain
We are now prepared for speedy solu-
ton of the question as 70 which IS the most
economical sugar. 1t has been seen that no
sugar is lttre until it has been refined: and
even then only the best refined article is so.
This forms clear, dry grain. is strong-is
sugar, and nothing else. Pare sugar IS