Sharp County record., 1880-09-09
Grape Sugar and Glucose.

The manufacture and great profits
which the makers of glucose are now
realizing are described in the following
testimony lately given by one OF the
original producers in a law suit at But-
falo, N. Y. 1t would appear from the
evidence that the public rather prefers
to be cheated and will pay more for
sugar that is not sweet than for the
genuine article Mr.. Horace Williams
testified as follows:
The manufacture of grape sugar
from corn was commenced originally by
witness and his partner. He invented
some of the machinery by which the
process was brought to perfection. lie
obtained patents in order to keep his
process secret. Their firm name was
thenA. w. Fox & Co. They commenced
with two or three hundred bushels
day and increased this amount gradu-
ally to two thousand. This was the
amount in 1874. The Buffalo Grape
Sugar Company was then organized.
There were two hundred shares, of
which Fox owned one hundred and two;
witness owned sixty shares and the bal
ance was held by William Hamlin. I'M
proyemeGts have since been made in
the machinery, by which better arti-
Gle of sugar is made and with greater
facility. They first produced crude
Sugar-used in the manufacture of ale
and lager beer, principally ale. The
sugar was used in place of malt. At a
later date they refined the sugar. Grape
sugar also was used, in 1874, by tobac-
conists. AS its quality was improved it
was used in other branches of business.
A large quantity is now used in making
sirup for table use. Witness knew there
was very little pure cane sirup sold now.
The grape-Sugar sirup is more whole
some and delicious. Glucose and grape
sugar are one and the same thing-glu-
cose being the sugar in a liquid form.
When it is called grape sugar it is in a
solid form. This is being used conSid-
erably in New York in making sugar,
making what is called improved sugar.
Witness understood that the Buffalo
Grape Sugar Company was interested
in this mixing of sugars in New York.
AT the present time the demand for
grape sugar exceeds the supply and the
price of it has increased. In 1874 thirty
pounds of sugar were made from one
buShel or fifty-six pounds of corn. The
price was then from three and half to
four and sometimes four and half
cents pound. The refuse is sold for
feed and the price of it was from seven
to eight cents bushel. In mixing SUI
gar the grape sugar is pulverized and
about twenty-five per cent. added to
cane sugar. 1t improves the color of
the sugar and enables dealers to sell it
for better price.
During 1874 and 1875 the earnings
were about $4,000 month and in
1876 they averaged from $4,000 to
$4,000. In 1877 the earnings for one
month were $4,000. Witness did not
see many of the statements during 1878.
A starch factory was run in connection
with the sugar works, about 500 bushels
of corn being used in day, Witness
did not know much about the earnings
of the starch factory. He was aware
that the business was profitable. Heun-
derstood all of the processes of the estab-
liShment and had charge of the manufac-
turing of the sugar, glucose, etc. He
made estimates from time to time OF
the cost of turning a bushel of corn into
sugar and in doing so took into conSid-
Grafton the outlays, cost of machinery,
building, etc. He estimated it to be
about twenty-five cents bushel, and
the net profit of a bushel of corn, at
forty-fve cents bushel, when turned
into sugar, to be seventy cents. A
number of small manufactures have
sprung up in this country, but there are
only four or five of any account. The
amount of corn consumed in 1879 was
from 1000 to 5000 bushels day. In
some respects it costs less per buShel to
run large amount of corn than it
would to consume a small quantity
The net profit per bushel from 1874 to
1879 was from forty to fifty cents. y
Scientific american.