Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1885-01-15
SOME FACTS ABOUT SUGAR.
Extent and Growth OF an Important
American Industry

sAACAS niO OAAJ lOuE FhElclleS Ol sugar
first. the cane sugar, which is the most
important; second, fruit sugar, found in
honey and acidulous fruits, the value Of
which as an article Of commerce Is hard
to calculate; in this variety might also be
considered maple sugar; third, grape
sugar, commonly called starch sugar or
glucose, made by boiling starch corn,
cane sugar, sugar Of milk and other sub
stances with dilute acids. The last var
iety might be termed milk sugar, found
in the milk Of animals by analysis, and
found to be less sweet than glucose.
The quantity Of glucose manufactured
IN this country is hard to estimate, but
it is, no doubt, enormous, Of the cane
sugar, an estimate Of $50, 900 tons is ad-
vanced as the yield Of the Southern
States Some authorities place the
worlds product Of cane-sugar at about
5000, 600 tons, or including maple-sugar
and beet-sugar, at 7, SO5, 900 tons.
Now few words regarding the man
ufacture Of sugar Of raw sugar there
are three grades, viz, centrifugal, the
muscovado and the domestic molasses
sugar. The first il Of course the best
grade. The others are clarified, and
after going through the regular process,
becomes what is known as brown sugar
The processes of refining are various.
Perhaps the best description Of this
process is found in an article entitled
"a Visit to Sugar Refinery, I in the
Boston Bulletin. The first stage is some
thing like this: The raw sugar is re-
ceived in large hogsheads After being
poured out on q grating, through which
it falls into tank where immense steel
knives break and strip it, the water and
heat is applied, together with some lime
water, which serves to keep the sugar
sweet during the process.
After dissolving, the liquid is pumped
into huge tanks at the very top Of the
building, called elbow ups In these
tanks the liquids remain until q scum
arises, when it is filtered and run to the
lower story. The liquid is now greatly
clarified and much more translucent.
Mud, actual mud" says the writer,
lis often found in chunks, when the
fltering bags are cleansed, and loads Of
it are taken away every day."
This tiltering is not sufficient to cleanse
the liquid which runs through char
filter before it can obtain purity sufi-
cient to warrant its being boiled into
sugar. These filters are about fifteen
feet in depth by nine in diameter, and
contain almost $4,000 pounds Of bone
black. This bone black or charred bone,
is chemically tested as to purity before
using, and resembles closely powdered
charcoal. Through this mass Of bone
the liquid gradually filters, and comes
out pure and ready for boiling.
Boiling plays very important part in
the manufacture Of sugar, since the
grades Of color depend upon it. Enough
liquid to boil down to so, 600 pounds Of
sugar is boiled at one time, each boiling
requiring between two and three hours.
The longer it boils the larger and more
transparent are the crystals
Here we have the sugar From the
boiler the sugar is placed into what are
called centrifugal machines, resembling
and used as fine sieve. The sugar is
very wet, and to draw off the water the
sieve is whirled swiftly around by ma
chinery which throws off the water
through the sieve. The side sieve basins
are now set in motion, whirling around
SO swiftly that the sugar is thrown up on
the sides by the centrifugal force, and
grows whittier and whittier as the water is
thrown off the sides. When the color is
satisfactory and the sugar is dry enough,
it is scooped off the sides Of the basin,
and after the Jumps are broken it is ready
to be barreled and sent upon the market
The common sugars, such as are called
soft sugars, vary in color from very
light pale yellow to dark brown molas-
ses colored sugar. A slight mistake in
fltering Or the least imperfection means
heavy loss to a large concern.
The grades Of sugar known in the
market are cut LOAF, which is the best
grade Of sugar, clear and white, and not
used as extensively as other grades, and
only for table use. Powdered comes
next, and then granulated. This latter
is more particularly used for the table.
The grades then gradually decline into
mold A, confectioners' A, and standard
A. Then follow what might be termed
baking sugars, such as off "A, white extra
9, extra G 9, and lastly yellow.
The value Of sugar was known to the
nations Of antiquity The Old Testa-
ment speaks Of sweet calamus and sweet
cane, which could no doubt, be used to
some extent the same as our sugar cane.
In the ninth century, the Saracens intro
duced the staple into Rhodes, Cyprus,
Crete and Sicily, and thence it was taken
to Venice, about the year 1000
In the carly part Of the fifteenth cen,
tury it was introduced into Madeira, and
thence the authorities supposed it to hava
been brought into Brazil. But the first
intimation we have Of its cultivation in
North America was about the year 1851,
when some Jesuits brought it from st.
Domingo, growing it just above the site
now occupied by the city Of New Or.
leans. In 1770 the article was one Of