Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-07-17
as many suppose, and was unknown to the
Aztecs, who made syrup from wild honey
and the juice of the century plant, and
erc.p vpoy cORN-sTAJKs

as many suppose, and was unknown to the
Aztecs, who made syrup from wild honey
and the juice of the century plant, and
SUGAR FROM coRN-sTALKs,
Much after the manner so extensively ex-
perimented upon of late years in the
United States. The Spaniards introduced
it into this part OF tie world-tirst from
the Canary Islands to Santo Domingo,
thence to Cuba, and naturally soon after
wards to Mexico. The first sugar-canes
were planted in the new world in 1920. by
Pedro de Athena. The sugar mills built at
that time by the Spaniards were worked by
hydraulic wheels. and not, as now, by
horses During CorteZ' time there were
many hourishing sugar plantations in the
valley of Mexico at an altitude of more
than 5000 feet-where now lowing, it is
supposed, to the cutting down of the treesl,
it is not warm enough for cane to grow.
A Mexican of my acquaintance, who
owns what he calls a qliirtd peQuiad little
garden) of hundred acres, in the suburbs
of thriving city, tells me that he bought
the land four years ago for 500 per acre,
and that the first years yield of only ten
acres OF it in sugar-cane amounted to $3.50.
Another native informs me that his sugar
rancho was seeded twenty-four years ago,
that the cane has continued to ripen year
after year at an average hight of
nine feet, and there has never been
any falling off in the yield. Rid
ing anywhere along the water-courses,
one sees impenetrable thickets of wild cane
or bamboo, rivaling Jacks historic bean
stalk in altitude, and the Mexicans tell
stories concerning it taller than the cane
itself Not long ago Judge Ysmael Gomez,
a noted local magnate, invited us to visit
his sugar hacienda-an extensive tract of
land lying along both sides of beautiful
river. wish you could see
THE FAMILY CARRIAGE
That came for us-an antique ark resem-
bling a New York Black Maria" with no
suspicion of springs, and small, square
aperture high up over the wheels for a
door, through which one must crawl head
foremost or feet foremost, in ascent or de-
scent-in either case necessitating an en-
barrassing display of hosiery. The fact
DRY" was rustic screen of dried grass, sup
ported by four poles, standing in the open
field, worked by one decrepit mule, and
manned by boy, who, besides our
selves, was the only human being within
sight or hearing.
The cane stalks serve q double purpose,
for after having been squeezed dry (by
donkey power in the little mill, they are
used for fuel with which to boil their own
blood. The sap runs by rude trough
from the mill into a tin vat, beneath which
is the mud-oven, dignified by the name of
furnace. When sufficiently cooked, the
syrup is cooled and nodded in tiny earthen
jars, precisely like our smallest-size plant
pots, only trife deeper. Each little cake
is then wrapped separately in dried leaves
of the cane, and is ready for shipping.
The skimmings of the boiling sap are
utilized for making a popular beverage
which at first resembles sweet cider and is
called Ggta nliel (honey water, or micl de
cana but by fermentation soon develops
into the most vicious of intoxicants
Phonetic, as the cane syrup or molasses is
called, is by no means as pleasant to the
taste as our maple, nor as Chinese sorghum;
but its culture is profitable, as the demand
for it greatly exceeds the supply. Ali
Mexicans. males and females, patricians
and parvenues, are exceedingly fond of
sweets, and none of them have the slightest
appetite for anything approachingt to acidity,
though all delight in peppery dishes.
Therefore pickles ct al. are things I'M
known, while pilonciito is in great request,
principally for pouring over the stewed
beans, which course" always comes last
at every meal before dessert and coffee.
FANNIE B. WARD.