Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1858-12-18
Letter from Col. J. S. Williams.
Fl USE OF BI-suLPHiTE.
CAnoL1sA PLANrATIoS,
Dec. 18th, 1852.
Ell. +. HYAMs, Esq.

= lear Sir: | received to-day, your
note r+ouestiur IRE to furnish for publ
,",,;,n il, your paper, my views on the
use Of 81 SuIp|rite Of Lime IN the manu-
firtnre of sugar, and whether the sugar
t|,0s made. can Ire considered in any
manner injurious TO the consumer. /
should hesitate complying with your
tiAtterin1 request, from my aversion /"
.Gyurin. in print, we're it MT that I have.
seen 'roiuy the .rouuds" u the news
pa,,srs, several articles upon The lnJur-
ous effects OF Bi-SnjpIite, well caicu'"-
te.I--t,s Was remarked bv one Of the
city papers--"to frightsn old women aud
cI'|dren.'
The articles referred to, published N
the Baton kouze = i'ers, not only tend
to f~risIl;eu Consumers OF our ngsrs, but
reflects seriously upon The moral integrE~
tv aud intelligence Of the sugar ptanters
IT tle State, who have adopted as a
general ching, the USE OF B-SuipbI'e in
the manutacture: of sugar. The charge
t,at the planters employ poisonous
drug in the manufacture Of sugar merei:
to obtain a cent Or two per pound more,
it true. should be investigated, not only
by tie con>u1ners, but by the Iaw-'nak-
k+rs, and its use prohibited, as the use
# stryc!1niur is prohibited in the man
,uiacture Of whisky in some Of the whls-
ky making States.
deny, however, that tbs use of Ri
SUI pFsite, in the the manufacture OF ST.
gar, is III anywjse injurious to the health
Of tue consumer: and especially DO | de-
ny that planters ale in the habit Of put
ting up their sugar, made Without b.
oujpljte, for family use. / doubt not
but that some may be fund who think
that it IS poisonous, and, consequently,
must poison The sugar made by its use;
and tbs fear induces them 10 make en-
ou.jI for their own consumption in the
old fashioned way. To those who llink
tIlus, yud are laboriny under ,Teurs Of
being poisoned BY sugar of their own
make, | would remark that the reflection
is not very creGitabIe TO themselves that
they should sell an article intended for
general u7r, believing it to be poisonous.
| Imagine, however, that very few OF this
class OF believers can bs. found aud Ger
ta,uiY not among those who know what
B~I-SuIrIlile is, anu now 10 use it i'll max
itg sugar.
The *>kimminrs" Of the kettles, in
which sugar Is being made with Bi-Su-
p1ite, are not, 50 far as my observations
vAt4ul, IN anyNj8z Injurious to Stock
On NY plantation III L~aiourcIle, the
Swimming dltc! passes through my stock
lot, an: upou the skimnings, the mules,
cattle and hogs, freely feed, and. in fact,
are fond OF it; it is, and always bias been
both |:ttenin4 and beHlthEuI. Posi-
bly, there may be Il dit1= renee be-
tween LatourcIIe hogs and those mentiou~
ed by a Baton Rouge paper, that turned
UP their noses, with that wonderful in
stjntt given them By Providence, to re-
fuse and scout the poisonous stuff.
The charge that Bi-sulpIite is %injuri-
rous was made ON years ago, when it
was first introduced into the country,
but, like all frivolous assertions, fell to
the ground for want of coufrnation.-
Those using Bi-Su|phite in the manufsc-
ring Of sugar, knowing what it is, do not
AS is generally supposed, us it as a cIari-
icator. It was owing to this tA'Iacy
that we utterly failed ia making good
sugar with it when first introduced
With Bi-SuIpuite alone, we cannot make
a IrerchantabIe article Of sugar. Is is
not only not a c'ariicator, but is a des-
troyer Of the grain. We use it as a dis
coIorator, and value it for its bleaching
properties alone; and to make good su
gar with 1t, we are compelled to Use lime
IN a much greater proportion than we