The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-03-10
THE STORY OF SUGAR
.sHiNA SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN THE
FIRST CANE cuLTlvAroR.

Century Venetian.
Few other commodities possess q lar.
ser photography than sugar. Never
tholoss the early history Of sugar Ia
wrapped In obsourity. Formerly chem.
lists called everything a sugar which
had a sweet taste. but the term In its
scientific sense soon came to be re-
strtcted to the sweet principles In yege.
table and animal juices. Only one OF
these, cane sugar. was known an d pure
substance until 1919, when an Italian
chemist isolated the sugar OF milk and
proved lts Individuality, The original
habitat bf the sugar cane II not known.
but II seems 10 have been hrat cult
yated in China aud TO have extended
thence TO India and Arabia at Il com.
paratiyely late date. Sugar In not men.
toned by either 0recian or Roman
writer's until the time Of Nero. and sug
or candy was the first aud only species
known TO the European ancisnts. II
was the original manufacture Of the
east. particularly China, and found It.
way into Europe as raw sugars did IN
after ages by way Of India. Arabia
and the Rcd sea. Sugar when first In
sfoduccd into every country was used
7 only incidentally. Almost oil physl
clans. commencing with the Arab
y leeches. employed Il originally 10 rcn
der unpleasant and nauseating medi'
zines grateful TO the sick and recon.
amended II in complaints OF tho ehest
end lungs,
VI That which pressryesh apples and piums
WI also preserve liver and lungs
h an old adage. But the use Of sugar
In sirups and preserves came later.
while barely three centuries have
elapsed since II became an Ingredient
In the popular diet of Europe
The yenetlans were the fathers Of
the European sugar trade Anterior
20 the year has they both imported
considerable quantities Of sugar from
India and planted the cane In the Island
OF Sicily. With the produce Of this Ia.
lana ind the Indian Imports the vene
tians carried on great trade and sup.
oiled all the markets OF Europe with
this commodity. However, tho exact
date when sugar was brst introduced
Into England Ia difficult 20 ascertain.
One OF the earliest references to sugar
In England Ia that Of 10000 pounds Of
sugar being shipped TO London In 1910
BY one Lorcdanao, merchant OF
venios TO be exchanged for wool. In
che same year there appears In the ac-
counts Of the chamberlain of Scotland
q payment at the rate OF ls. oisd per
pound for sugar Writing IN iS40.
chaucer mentions the sweetness Of
sugar allegoricnlly.
The art OF refining sugar and making
what is called loaf sugar was invented
BY n Venetian citizen toward the end
VI the fifteenth century. This same
art was first practiced In England In
1914, the Adventures being Thomas
Gardiner and Sir William Chester ~
sisted by three venetians. They were
proprietors OF the only two sugar
houses In England. but the profits aris'
ing from this concern were at hrst
small, as the sugar refiners ut Ant
werp could supply the London market
cheaper. Eventually war stopped the
intercourse between London and Ant.
wep, and these two houses supplied all
England for space OF twenty years
and greatly enriched the proprietors,
whose success induced many Others TO
embark In the same trade. In 1905
Sir Thomas Mildmay tried to create a
sugar trust. On the pretext that frauds
were practiced In refining sugar he pc.
titioned Elizabeth to grant him II.
Ncense for the exclusive right Of REIN
ihg sugar for term OF years, but the
queen refused the request
Meanwhile the Spanlards had become
In their turn the great dlsseminatcrs Of
the sugar cultivation The cane was
planted by them In Madeira In 1920; It
was carried to the West Indies In 1909,
and II spread over the occupied por-
tlons OF South America during the six.
teentlI century. Yet sugar continued
to be costly luxury. an article sub
ject to the control OF the physician and
confined to the apothecary's shop, TIL
the increasing Use of tea and co1ee In
the eighteenth century brought II into
the llst OF principal food staples.
Sugar was believed to be an antidote
to alcohol. Bacon warmly supports
the theory of the power OF sugar not
only to render wine less intoxicating
being mixed Herewith at the time of
drinking It. but also when eaten after.
ward to remove the III effects OF too
copious llbatlons Of unmingled wine.
Falstaff, II may be remembered, al.
ways took sack and sugar" A Gu.
rious echo of this theory cropped up at
the LAmson murder trial. The pris.
onsr pleaded that the sugar brought
into the room to serve az suitable
vehicle for the aconitlne which be in
tended to administer to his victim was
really introduced to counteract the In.
nuence Of some strong sherry they
were drinking. The great Duke Of
Pa AuforA xz,ha xvaa a haavv drfnkAP