The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-06
THE STORY OF SUGAR.
Sweet Stuff Causing Political and
Financial Indigestion.

4
in the world-eluoose as an Adult
Grant.
From the Washington star.
Sugar is like the genie i'm the Ara
bian Nights story. 1t has grown until
finally it has become so gigantic as 10
throw its shadow across the Geld of
national politics Influence is alleged to
have been cast by it into the scale of cleo
tons. Senators are openly charged with
specializing in it. One of them makes no
secret of his interest in the market for
this product, the recent rise in which
has probably netted him at least 81,
OC0 900.
Yet, in respect to age, the giant sugar
is a baby. Its extensive employment is
very new. In early times honey was al
most the only source of sweets and was
enjoyed only by the sick or by the finder
Of colony of wild bees. In the middle
ages sugar from the Juices of plants was
rare luxury. within reach of the rich
alone. People now living can remem Der
when 1t was not a common article of diet
even with persons in easy circumstances.
Only within the last twenty years has il
ceased to be a luxury
The production of sugar has steadily
increased until now it is used as com
monty as -four. Nobody is so poor as not
to have household store of it. It's con
sumption is referred to as a measure of
prosperity and civilization. Whereas
savages consume almost none of il. people
employ it more and more as they become
progressively enlightened. England uses
seventy-nine pounds per annum for each
ludlvld ual Of her population the United
States consumes siXty-uiue pounds per
capita, France twenty-nine pounds, Ger
many twenty-three pounds, Austria fif-
teen pounds, Russia and Spain ten
pounds, Italy and Turkey eight pounds.
WHY MORE IS USED IN ENGLAND.
1t will be observed that the consump-
ton of sugar in England is greater than
in this country in proportion to the popu-
latiOn. This is accounted for by the fact
that large part of the saccharine luxury
used in John Bulls island is made up into
jams, preserves and marmalades for ex-
port The United States consumes about
4,5O0.000,000 pounds of sugar in year,
not including molasses, honey and syrups
No other item of food costs so much. ex-
cept bread and meat, 1t is most nutri-
tious, having the same food value as an
equal weight of starch. The consump-
tion of sugar IN the world has doubled
since 1876.
The sugar cane has been cultivated
from time immemOrial 1t was known
anciently TO many savage tribes of the
eastern hemis Dhere, by whom the plant
was grown for the sake Of sucking the
stems, or for sweetening food with the
raw juice. There are many species and
a multitude of varieties. natives or river
banks. and meadows, in warm countries
around the world. The cane is said to
have been first systematically raised in
India, whence the Neuetians brought it
to Europe, in the Twelfth century IN
the South Sea islands the leaves are
used for matching houses. while the
stems are made to serve for the shafts of
arrows.
The opposition encountered by sugar
when first introduced was extraordinary
The early struggles of the potato to gain
recognition are matter of history. The
spread of tobacco was antaeonized by an
eXasperating fanaticism. lnnumerable
statements were published to prove the
evil effects of coffee, tea and chocolate
when they came into use in Europe
Sugar. however, had an even worse re
ception. Eminent authorities declared it
a poison. 1t was alleged to overhead the
system, to longest the lungs, to give rise
to apoplexy, to produce diseases of the
SSplitAOA w 4CA 4l4Jllt4liS anu 10 QtNG4Ob
These conclusions were in
dorsed by Boyle. who discovered the com
position of atmospheric air.
Sugar was known in England as early
as the middle of the fifteenth century,
but it was only used at feasts and for
medicinal purposes. In France the sale
of it was monopoly enjoyed by apothe
carries until late in the seventeenth cen
fury The monopoly did not help to
make it cheap In fact. it was more of
luxury then than champagne and tru1tes
now are. The consumption of sugar in
the United States in 1880 was only forty
three pounds FER capita. Thus it ap-
pears that each person in the country
uses twenty-six pounds more of sugar an
nually than fourteen years ago
There has been great deal of agitation
of late on the subject of glucose. and re
specting this product many mistaken no.
tions have been spread. 7 o begin with.
1t is not harmful Common molasses is
glucose, mixed with a little cane sugar.
which falls to the bottom of the cask
after long standing. That part of the
sugar derived from cane which will crys-
tallize is glucose. Its non crvstallizaOil-
ity is a charactistic of glucose. Crystal
liable sugar is always called cane
sugar" no matter what plant it is de
rived from. For example, beets yield
cane sugar and contain no glucose
NOW GLUCOSE MAY BE MADE.
Commercial glucose is made from corn,
but it may be got from almost any sort of