Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-07-23


apple, apricot, strawberry, cherry
vanilla, chocolate, coffee, and tea
with sacks of almonds and baskets of
pistachio nuts, and flberts
being emptied into machines which
bruise their husks, fay them and
blanch them all ready to receive their
saccharine coating.
Most bonbons are made by hand;
only those which are flat at the bot
tom are cast ia moulds. In the hand
made bonbons the sugar paste is rolls
ed into shape by the aid OF an instru>
ment formed of a stout piece of wire.
one end of which is twisted and the
other fixed into a wooden handle.
With this the paste is taken out of the
caldron and worked into the desired
form by a rapid stroke of the hand.
For bonbons of a particular form.
such as those In imitation of various
fruits, etc., models are carved in wood.
A certain number of these, say from
fifty to sixty, are fixed on a narrow
strip of wood, and the confect1oner
takes Eaolds of them IN starch, con-
tanned IN series of large, shallow
drawers, AS soon as the molds be-
come dry they are filled with LIQUID
sugar, already colored and favored,
after which the drawer is put on one
side for twenty-four hours, when the
bonbons are ready for sale. The del
icate sweets, containing some essences,
such as pineapple, etc., are always
cast in starch molds. It puzzles older
heads than those of children to know
how this drop of delicious liquid gets
into the center of the sweet. Like
many other puzzling matters, it is very
easily explained. The favoring es-
sence is mixed with the liquid sugar,
and when poured into the mould the
latter crystalizes Immediately over
the former These essences, so nice
to the taste, are the most remarkable
examples of the power of chemistry
to transform very repugnant mater
ials into delicacies. Fusel oil is the
base of the pear essence, and pine
apple essence is obtained by diluting
ether with alcohol. The chemist, IN
his laboratory, with great cunning,
manufactures scores of these essences,
which are supposed to be the veritable
product Of delicate fruits. Some of
the pretty forms that are made to take
the fancy of the little ones are simply
punched out of fiat films of sugar
rolled; some are cast, some are press
ed into shape when soft between en-
graved rollers. The drops and sweets
that are quite clean are boiled so long
that the water has evaporated out of
them. Such sweets must be immedi-
ately bottled up, or preserved from
the air, otherwise they absorb water
ana become semi-liquid. Barley sugar
is an example In point. If it is not
Theoretically sealed down in tins, it
deliquesces, and loses all it's crisp
ness. It is as well to know that this
is the purest of all sweets-being alb.
solutely clarified sugar, and therefore
the most wholesome for children. On
the other hand, peppermint drops are
the most open to sophistication. They
should be made of crushed white
sugar, mixed into a paste WITH gum.
But the temptation to adulterate is too
great for the dishonest trader to resist:
Consequently, in order to supply the
cheap market, one-half plaster Paris
is mixed with inferior sugar. One
can quite understand the sickness that
overtakes children sometimes after
sucking those comfts. The wonder
is that such a mass of plaster does not
interfere more signally with their di-
gestion. Jujubes, those flexible loz-
engers which stick so in the teeth,
contain large portion of gum. They
are poured into tins to cool, standing
for several hours, sliced into sheets,
and then cut by scissors into the we'll
known diamond shapes.
The veritable sugar-plum, or all
mond- drop, is made IN a very inter
esting manner. A mum Der of almonds
after being coated with little gum to
catch the white sugar. are thrown in
to deep pan surrounded with steam.
This pan revolves side ways at an aa-
gle of forty-fve degree. AS it revolves
the almonds, Of course, tumble over
one another, and while they are doing
SO the WOrkmen pour over them from
time to tine liquid white sugar, al
lowing sufficient time to elapse be-
tween each supply for the sugar to
harden upon the comtit. Ia this way
IL SAoWS Ny Vic 4hIpOSlJlOu OIL layer
upon layer until it is the proper size.
By this simple motion the sugar is de-
posted in the smoothest and most
regular manner. Girls are largely
in the sugar plum trade.
They are quick and stick well to their
work, but they have sweet tooth and
help themselves to the lozengers pref
ty literally. AS it is impossible to
stop this petty pilfering they are
given the liberty to eat as much as
they can.
The manufacture of the surprise
nuts is done with the utmost speed by
those little workwomen. The nut is
first opened by means of rose cutter:
the kernel is then cleared out with
penknife, the hollow is filed with
seedsweets and the hole by which
they have been introduced is sealed
with chocolate. It is great fun, of
course, when you have cracked a nut
to find your mouth full of these small
sugar seeds, whether you expect the
surprise Or not. In one part of the es-
adjustment I came upon the little ar