The Russellville Democrat., 1882-08-03

This also is little known beyond the plantation house. as it too quickly returns to sugar. "
 Sugars from the various sections present peculiaritics which render them easily distiDguishable by the experts. Those from the Red river parishes for instance, where the red clay formation of the lands is so marked as to give the river itself the name it bears, are of a reddish tinge, and the same is true of the molasses from that section.
 A saline taste is often apparent in both sugar and molasses, particular ly in the latter, and when thisls the case it is al once known that they are from the extreme Lower Coasts, or from the Lower Teche of La fourche, where the lands are in such close proximity to the sea that the cane has absorbed salt to certain extent, and an undue prevalence of it is an injdry to the sugar, causing a greater tendency to deliquescence.
 It is not so much an injury to mo- lasses, but impairs it's flavor, and is to the distant consumer unaccounta- ble.
 Almost all the plantations brand the name of the plantation on every package of their product, and some have acquired an extensive and just ly merited reputation for uniform ex- cellence and standard quality; but q large portion of the crop comes in packages rudely marked with q brush with the initials of the planter and sometimes several different in. itials for tho same crop where it has been made on shares, and where sev- eral parties are interested.
 When the crop has been finished and all the sugar and molasses ship ped to market, the basin or purgery is cleaned out, and the sedimentary deposit of the molasses, composed of sugar and gummy matters, together with pieces of brickbats, flakes Of cement, dirt, sand, trash, etc, ad in- finitum and which delectable com pound is known as 'cistern bottoms, :" is filled into barrels and sent into the market, where it is bought for refin- ing purposes, or to manufacture backing or "essence of coffee," or other articles of domestic economy, whose obscure origin, if correctly known, would amaze the innocent consumer. But the old New Eng land tradition, of ante bellum days, that sundry remnants of "niggers" were to be occasionally found in the cistern bottoms is not sustained by investigation.
 The burnt sugar or ''caromel," which accumulates in the kettles, is by many of the old Creoles made into a delicate breakfast beverage, which served hot with the addition of rich cream, is similar but much superior to the best chocolate, and proves a grateful surprise to the chance visitor at the plantation.
 'Vin du cane" is beverage pecu- liar to the sugar house during the sugar making, and the unwary stranger is often inducted into it's mysterious effects.
 It is made from the hot juice as it leaves from the "grande," aud with the addition of little plantation whiskey and the juice of a sour or ange, it makes drink compared to which the Mexican's ''pulque," fades into miserable insigniticance, and Wabash sulphurIc acid corn juice is hot to be mentioned.
 The stranger "smiles" with erati. ficatlon as he partakes of the deect- able beverage, but finds too late that men betray," and ever after ward remembers with unmitigated disgust the villainous decoction..- New Orleans Sugar Planter.