Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-10-18
HISTORY OF SUGAR.

A Child OF Civilization, Born In tho East |
The history of sugar and sugar
making is almost the history OF CIV
ilization. 1t progress from one local. |
ity to another is to certain extent,
identical. with the progress OF ad-
yanced nations. Born aud bred in
the far East this industry was des-
tined TO reach its greatest growth in
the more enlightened West, and the
events in its history are therefore to
be stCdied with interest by the peo- ]
pie of the Occident From an hum
BILE start the industry of sugar-mak-
ing has grown to be one OF the most
important. There are something like
30 different kinds OF sugar, but only
one of these, cane sugar, is used
to any great extent as an article OF
food, although glucose, another vari-
ETY., is sometimes employed in the
arts. There are several sources from
VIII CHI cane sugar may tie obtained
the sugar cane, the beet, the date
palm, sorghum and the sugar maple.
OF the total production Of cane sugar
about GO Per cent Is from sugar cane,
80 per cent. from the beet and one
half of one per cent from the maple.
Bengal is supposed to he the home
of the sugar cane. but there is
species, which by some botanists IS
considered as distinct from the Ben
gal plant, while by others it is sup
posed tt be only variety Of the same
species, which owes its nativity to
China. There Is a possibility, ii these
us~tS ~, Ill h~
that they came from co,nmon start
in years long past At any rate sugar.
cane was cultivated and used for
sweetening before the beginning Of
the Christian era in both Bengal and
China. In these early days OF its use
the product was known as ''honey of
canes" and sugar as we know it was
not mentioned until about 1900 years
ago. About 100 A. D., it was spoken
of by Greek writer and described
as a salt-like, sweet, graduated sub
stance which came from India. This
shows that the art of making sugar
much like our own, was known at
that time and probably had been
known in India long before. Its
Greek name. saccharum, which was
derived from the Sanscrit, meant
gravel. The sugar cane, saccharum
of botanists, therefore gets it's name
from the granular nature of the
product which we call sugar.
The art of boiling sugar was known
at an early date in Gangetic India
and from this country it was intro
duced into China In the first part OF
| l,vt lie, h.
ably to Egypt that we owe the rein
ing Of sugar. Even to the present
day coarse sugar, or that little refined,
Is known in India as Chinese sugar
and that of finer quality as Cairent
or Egyptian. About the time of the
Arabian conquest of Persia sugar was
manufactured in the latter country
on large scale and was prepared
with art" as early writings say
From Persia its manufacture sprea(
to the west The Persian wore
"Shakar," which was applied to thu
product of the cane, probably &C
counts for our word sugar.
1T is interesting to note that the
first uses Of sugar we're in medicine
and further that the first advances il
the art of its refining were made b.
the famous physicians of Arabia
The progress of sugar making wa
slow but steady, its dissemination
after the beginning of the l5Ih cent
ury being largely carried on by tn
Spaniarde Their first venture il
sugar growing was made in Maderi
in 1920. Ia l494 it was carried t.
San Domingo ana early in the let
century it sIAead over the occupies
portions Of the West Indies and Sout
America. Sugarcane growing playe
prominent part in the early histOr
of this part of the world For tn
first twenty years OF the lot
century the sugar industry in Sa
Domingo advanced with great strides
and it was with the revenues receive
from this source that Charles V OF
tanned funds for his palace buildin
at Madrid and Toledo.
In 1919 100, 1000 pounds of suga
were shipped from Venice, then tn
center of the sugar trade, to LondoI
by one TOmassO Loredano, to be e,
changed for wool. This seems to b
about the first sugar to be brought
uTcdU DTIUdlu. AL tudU Cliilc ~ COs
. Is. 94d. (43 cents) per pound, and wa
used only in medicine. until the il
creased use of tea and coffee in tn
18th century brought it int
the list oi principal food staples. l
, 1900 the amount of sugar used
, Great Britain was 10000 tons Will
now over 1000, 900 tons are used ther
annually. Loaf sugar was invente
by Venetian in the latter part {
the 18th century, and for it he II
ceived a reward OF 100, 900 crowns
! Sugar identical with that Obtaihe
from the cane was, in the 10Th cen
ury, found to exist in the beet an
numerous other tieshy roots whic
grow in temperate regions.
The first beet-sugar factory ";
established in 1901 in Bresau. &c
many The progress of beet-suga
making in the following years W;