Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1882-11-25
The Parasites in Sugar.

While in perfect granulated sugar
and in other grades of dry chrystal SUI
gar no parasitic life is found, these su-
gar mites are often actively present in
all brown or moist sugar; especially in
the lower or "crawley" grades; in fact
this motion is the result of the contin-
ued motion of the masses of these mites
in such sugar. That these are more in
furious to health than the mites in some
cheese is not proven; but some cheese
does not contain mites, and neither does
some sugar. Hence give both wide
berth.
Many persons suppose that brown
sugar is sweeter than refined sugar.
This however is not the fact. 1t is not
so sweet. The sensation is only ap-
parent from the fact that semi-liquid
sugar or glucose contained in the brown
sugar melts more easily on the tongue
than the chrystal sugar, on the same
principle that piece of soft candy
melts more easily on the tongue than
does rock candy, and more readily gives
the sensation of sweetness. We do not
believe with an amateur microscopic,
who thought the sensation of sweetness
came from the struggles of the little
living creatures on the tongue. On
the contrary the sensation is just as
perfect in newly made sugar as in old,
and more so with molasses than with
sugar.
What are the little sugar mites like? ?
You must look through a microscope
to find out. They may also be found
in the poorer qualities of figs, raisinS
and other moist dried sweet fruits, so
that the field for examination is rather
large.
What these insects look like under
the microscope DR.. VIM. Young tells
in the Medical Tribune. He examined
them under microscope of 400 diam
eters, and states as follows:
The intensity of horror that came
over me as viewed the ugly looking
; creatures and observed the fearful bat.
Ito
of sugar which lay before me, was any
r thing but soothing to my nerves. II
! was such sight as no one could con
ceive who has not had an opportunity
: of observing what shall make an eff
+, fort to describe. | have seen dozens
t | am sure, of the most horrid looking
i insects, in less than twenty grains o
It sugar, which appeared (under the pow
n er mentioned) as large as feas, anC
somewhat resembling Holsters. Thei
# legs or arms were provided with fou
l. joints each, with pinchers at the end
It aud covered with short, shining hair
Their heads were encased with rim,
r of ten or twelve spear-like tentacula
l. from the end of their nose, or what az
peared to be their nose, came twelve t
d fifteen long, worm-like feelers, whic
r. they kept in continuous motion, fC
y the purpose Git seemed to me- to war
1t off danger from any and all directions
ID And from their hinder parts appeare
i ten or twelve spear-like bristles, pr
III sumo for protecting themselves frOl
of danger in that direction. Their bodi
e. had dark lines on each side, similar
IT. a head louise or acarus scabies, and the
at were in continued motion, thrown
,e- their i'll looking limbs in every dire
ton, hitting the fellows who seemed
Il: resent the freedom INDUCED in, al
an perfect bedlam seemed to exist amor
X them, for | never saw them when tn,
ia were not fighting one another, al
,at tearing each other in terrible ma
ed ner.-So,dhern Farmers Monthly.