Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-26

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| GM1rA WN& national politics. In
| linn, SkltNSgAN\ fiuence Is alleged to
| ,NWN MAWNlAl1 have been cast by It
| tw&EH ii into the scale Of cleo
EtHR lions. Senators are
WIZ openly charged with
specializing in II. One
of them make no secret OF his interest in
the market for this product. the recent
rise in which has probably Melted him at
least s2O00,OO0.
Yet, in respect to age, the giant sugar is
baby. Its extensive employment is very
new. In early times honey was almost the
only source of sweets and was enjoyed only
by the sick or by the finder OF a colony of
wild bees. In the middle ages sugar from
the juices Of plants was a rare luxury
within reach of the rich alone. People now
| living can remember when 1t was not a
common article Of diet even with persons
In easy circumstances. Only within the
lest twenty years has it ceased to be a
luxury.
The production of sugar has steadily in
creased until now ii is used as commonly
as flour. Nobody is SO poor as not to have
household store Of IT. Its consumption is
referred TO as a measure Of prosperity and
civilization. Whereas savages consume al
most none Of II. people employ it more and
more as they become progressively en-
hghtened- England uses seventy-nine
pounds per annum for each individual Of her
population: the United States consumes
sixty-nine pounds per capita, France TWEEN
ty-nine pounds. Germany twenty-three
pounds. Austria fifteen pounds Russia and
Spain ten pounds. Italy and Turkey eight
pounds.
Why More Il Used In England.
1t VIII be observed that the consumption
OF sugar in England Is greater than in this
country In proportion to the population
This is accounted for by the fact that a
large part OF the saccharine luxury used In
John Bulls island Is made up into jams,
preserves and marmalades for export. The
United States consumes about 400 600 600
pounds OF sugar in a year. not including
mQlasses. honey and sirups. No other item
OF FOOD costs DO much, except bread and
meat. 1t 10 most nutritious, having the
same food value as an equal weight OF
starch The consumption OF sugar In the
world has doubled since 1876.
The sugar cane has been cultivated from
time fmmemorial 1t was known anciently
TO many savage tribes of the eastern hem
isphere. by whom the plant was grown for
the sake OF sucking the stems, or for sweet
ening food with the raw juice. There are
many species and a multitude of varieties
natives or river banks and meadows, IN
wal III Countries around the world. The
Is said to have been rirst systematically
raised In India, whence the Venetians
brought II TO Europe. in the twelfth century
In the South Sea Islands the leaves are
USED Tor matching houses, while the stems
are made to. serve for the shafts of arrows
Inc opposition encountered by sugar when
nrst introduced was extraordinary The
early struggles Of the potato to gain recog-
milton are matter of history. The spread
OF tobacco was antagonized by an exasper-
ating fanaticism. Innumerable Statements
We're published TO prove the evil effects OF
coffee. tea and chocolate wnen they came in
TO use in Europe. Sugar however had a.,
even worse reception. Eminent authorities
declared II a poison. 1t was alleged 70
overheat the system. to longest the lungs,
to give rise to aplopexy. to produce diseases
OF the stomach by fermenting and to de-
veiop consumption. These conclusions were
indorsed by Boyle, who discovered the com
position or atmospheric air.
Sugar was known in England as early ne
the middle of the fifteenth century. but n
vas only used at feasts and for me,,icina1
purposes. In France the sale OF IL was a
monopoly enjoyed by apothecaries until late
In the seventeenth century The rnononoiy
did not help TO make ii cheap. In fact If
was more OF a luxury then than chamna gna
anu trurnes now are. The consumption of
forty-three pounds per capita Thus n an
pears that each person in the country Mas
twenty-six pounds more of sugar annualiv
than fourteen years ago.
There has been a great deal of agitation
or late on the subject of glucose and re-
specting this product many mistaken no.
tons nave been spread. To begin with. N
nos no, narmIuL Common molasses is glu-
cose, mixed with little cane sugar. which
rails 20 the bottom Of the cask after long
standing. That part of the sugar derived
from cane which will not crystalline is slu
cose. Its non-crystallizability Is a charac
teristic of glucose Cryssalliza bic sngar -
always called cane sugar." no matter what
plant II Is derived from. For example beefs
yieio cane sugar and contain no glucose
How Glucose May BE Made.
Commercial glucose is made from corn.
out II may be got from almost any sort of
vegetable stuff 1t may be obtained from
cotton rags by mixing with the rags a
small quantity of sulphuric acid Ordinary
blotting paper treated In the same way win
yield glucose. Cotton rags and blotting pa
per are cellulose. and cellulose is the same
thing chemically as sugar. save that it con-
tains more water in each of its molecules
The sulphuric acid takes away the extra
water, and the residue Is glucose.
Glucose is not quite so sweet as cane SUI
gar, but IL only costs cents a pound. SO
1t makes a very suitable adulterant and for
this purpose ii is widely employed In the
manufacture of candles, jellies, sirups. etc
II would be made out OF rags but for the
| fact that corn is cheaper than rags. Ten
pounds OF glucose are turned out annually
in this country for every man, woman and
child in the United States. a total OF ESQ.,
000o00 pounds. Chicago produces enormous
| quantities of II from maize. In fact, II is
the most widely employed of all adulter-
ants.
Most OF the less expensive jellies sold are
purely artificial products composed Of glu-
| cose. gelatin. cochineal and fiavoring ex-
| tracts. Much of the liquid honey on the
| market is merely glucose Favored Some
! times pieces of real honeycomb are placed
in the jars of alleged liquid honey TO give
| II verisimilitude. 1t may usually be taken
| for granted that honey offered for sale in
this shape Is counterfeit. Samples of honey
which claim to be of the greatest purity
are most apt to be false. What an i'm
mense fraud this is may be judged. when it
Is considered that honey costs ~ cents a
| pound and glucose cents a pound.
| Molasses is adulterated with corn glucose.
| Sirups are bleached with sulphurous acid
and other chemicals. 1t is hard to find a
| pure molasses or strip in the market
| Much of the so-called maple strip is made
from glucose. the maple flavor being i'm
! parted by an extract of hickory bark
| This extract, made and sold as ''mapleine. -
| is patented article In his application
| for exclusive rights of manufacture the
! patentee stated that his extract would
bring maple oirup within reach of people