Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-02-04
AGRICULTURAL PAPERS.
. SERIES PREPARED ESPECIALLY FOR
THE "RECoRD-UHIoN."
presenting the instruction Contained in
Lectures from the Chair Of Agrt-
culture, State University.
FOURTH PAPER-THE COMPOUNDS OF ELE-
MENTs THAT CONSTITUTE THE BASIS
OF PLANTS.

We have now come to Reconsideration Of
the sugars, which are divided into three
principal classes Saccharose lcane sugar.,
levulose fruit sugar., and glucose or dex-
trose tgrape sugar.. Saccharose or cane
sugar is the ordinary sugar of commerce !;
so named from being first prepared in large
quantities from the juice of the sugar cane.
Pure cane sugar is white solid. and very
soluble in water, with which it forms a
ropy and intensely sweet solution. 1t
crystallizes in small rhombic prisms, as in
grsnulated sugar but in rock candy the
crystals are often al inch long. The pure
crystallizsd sugar of the sugar beet. eugar
maple and sorghum is saccharose. Saceha-
rose exists dissolved in the spring juices of
the walnut, birches aud other trees; in the
flowers, in fresh honey, in parsnips, carrots,
eetpotatoes and in many other vegetables
and fruits. Barley sugar, which is used in
confectionery, is made by heating saccha-
rose until it melts to clear yell
low liquid, and then cooling it quickly (;
If heated above $50 degrees it turns
brown, froths, emits pungent vapors, and
is changed into burnt sugar, known as
caramel, which is extensively used in color
Tag wines, soups, etc. When saccharose is
acted upon by yeast, or heated with dilute
acids, it is converted into mixture OF
equal parts of levulose and glucose. The
earlier method of making cane sugar was
to crush the cane, extract the juice, and
heat it in large watts until it was sufficiently
evaporated SO that it would crystalline.
After sufficient time had been allowed for
the complete capitalization of the cane
sugar, the syrup, which consisted of a mix
ture of fruit and grape sugar with impure
Ties, was poured off, and the cane sugar was
then fit for market. This is the method
practiced in the tropics at the present time.
1t ia well authenticated fact that the
mass of the people of tropical countries are
listless and indolent, and are greatly op-
posed to any innovations, either in labor or
which are brought about by theintroduction
of improved machinery. In the tropics the
sap of the cane often contains as much as
% per cent of sugar. But as the sugar
cane ripens within period of four weeks,
IL Llu5J VI USCSESlbJy do tuStO no AA4ctsno
known of keeping it, be worked up into
sugar inside of six weeks or two months.
1t can readily be seen that, in order to
handle a large crop OF cane, 1t would be
necessary to invest heavily in large plants
of machinery, which could only be utilized
for about two months in the year, thus
compelling the owner to lose at least the
interest on his investment for eight months
of each year. This very short duration of
the working season, together with the poor
quality of labor, and the difficulty of pro-
curing it, readily account for the ability of
sugar manufacturers II the temperate re-
gions, where the proportion OF sugar IN the
raw juice is from SO to 65 per cent, less
than in the tropics, to compete with the
manufacturers in the tropics.
The making of sugar from the juice Of
the cane, naples. etc, is quite simple
when compared TO the manufacture of
sugar from the beet. But to counterbal-
ance this the crop of beets may be kept in
underground cellars for several months,
while two crops and often three can be
raised in single season, so that the ma
chiBery used can be employed almost con-
stantly, thus necessitatipg an outlay for
machinery to work given amount of
beets in the temperate regions of only
about 25 per cent. Of that required to
work the same amount of material in the
tropics. II this were not the case beet
sugar could not compete with cane sugar
In the market. Another item In favor of
the cane sap is that the syrup is marketa-
BILE, and as it contains a good supply Of
phosphates aud potash, is quite nourish-
ing, while the syrup from beet sugar is
impalatabie in the extreme However,
this residue is quite valuable fertilizer,
and i also used TO a considerable extent In
the manufacture of alcohol While cane
sap IS comparatively pure, the solid matter
from beet juice contains from to II per
cent. OF impurities which have to be ex-
trac cd. OF late it has been demonstrated
that beta may be economically dried in
such manner as to retain all of the sugar.
This fact takes the beet out from among
the category of perishable products, and
points out method by which the factories
can be assured of uninterrupted work.
In the IT timing Of sugar the syrup is
passed through bone charcoal, which re-
moves all impurities 1t is then evapo-
rated until the cane sugar crystallizes out /;
the residue is poured off and sold as syrup CT
molasses, and the sugar dried and put on
the market. OF this commercial sugar the
granulated aud lump sugars are always
pure grape sugar, while the cube and pull
verified sugars are often adulterated to the
extent of from 80 to so per cent. with grape
sugar, which is only oae-half as sweet as
cane or fruit sugar. Levulose, or fruit
sugar, is found mixed with other sugars, in
sweet fruits, honey, molasses and other
products. When pure it IS colorless, am
orphous mass, incapable OF crystallizing.
and is generally found dissolved in water
as syrup. Its sweetness Is the same as
that OF cane sugar Levulose may be pre-
pared by boiling iDuline Ia substance derived
from the roots of many OF the composltes)
for some time with water or dilute acids.
Glucose, or grape sugar, also called dex.
trose, exists with ievulose in the juices OF
plants; it may be seen on candied raisins.
Glucose is, bulk for bulk, but one-half as
sweet as saccharose or levulose, and when
dissolved in water furnishes syrup which
is destitute of the ropiness OF cane sugar
syrup. Glucose crystalizes, but not so
readily as saccharose. Starch is con.
verified into dextrine by heat, and
the dextrine may be converted
into glucose (grape sugar. by the action OF
dilute acids, in the same manner as inuline
WAS converted into leyulose fruit sugar..
Starch Is also converted into glucose in the
sprouting and mailing of grain. Cellulose
itself, BY the prolonged action of hot dilute
acids, is convertible into glucose, and an
impure syrup has been made from saw
dust, from which alcohol may be manufact.
ured. The chemical composition of levu-
lose and glucose isidentical and one mole
cule of either of them differs from molecule
of saccharose icane sugar. only in contain.
ing one molecule more of water. Thus,
glucose and leyulose contain II atoms
each OF carbon and oxygen. and "a atoms
of hydrogen, while saccharose contains IL
atoms of carbon, % of hydrogen and ii of
oxygen-or, in other words, ssccharose
contains two atoms of hydrogen and one of
oxygen less than does either levulose or
glucose, and these three atoms form one
molecule of water. Inasmuch as these
three sugars are Of different commercial
values, it is not surprising that the cheaper
one should be used quite extensively in
adulterating the Others. This is actually
the case, and many tons of grape sugar,
which is only one half as sweet as cane or
fruit sugar, are mixed with these sugars
ard sold at full prices. If it were desira-
bic, it would not be very difficult to separate
levulose from saccharose, inasmuch as lev
uIose does not crystalze this is not the