The Washington herald., 1912-03-03

New York. March 2.--The greatest sweet
tooth in the world is Uncle Sans. To
satisfy Its cravings costs annually the
enormous sum OF approximately billion
dollars. or this half might be considered
a part OF our national food bill paid for the
sugar OF commerce, OF which we consume
as food about eighty pounds per capita
per annum. At present about four-hfths
Of this sugar comes from other coun-
tries, but scientists and agricultural ex-
perts who have studied the matter believe
that with proper encouragement the time
is coming when all our sugar will be
grown at home.
But the other ,tOoooc.ooo represents our
annual candy bill. according 70 the es-
Inmates OF Prof. Surface, Of Yale. and
this amount Is certainly a charge against
the national sweet tooth. Few persons
realize the enormous sum which we spend
on candy which in a single year would
be enough to pay for fifty battle-ships
Of the Dreadnought type. Not only are
we unrivaled by any other country In
the world In the consumption OF candy,
but In 1909 we consumed more than all
other countries reporting candy manu-
facture.
New York Holds Record.
New York is undoubtedly the greatest
candy eating city In the world. both In
total and per capita. with only about
one-sixteenth OF the population OF the
country this city consumes more than
one-tenth of all the candy. The immen-
slty Of these figures may be better
grasped when II IL shown that II all the
clty's candy were shipped in by rail II
would MI a train Of 100 cars, nearly
100 miles in length. stretching from New
York TO Philadelphia. Every day In the
- a.
to pull into the city to supply the de-
mand. To carry the total consumption
Of the whole country would require an
enormous train Of rs 900 cars and LIS
locomotive, equal in length to the dis
lance between New York and Chicago.
Curiously enough while the history OF
candy In naturally intimately associated
with that OF sugar. It's use mad become
general throughout the world long before
sugar had come into use. even In the
European countries. Apparently the first
candy maker was a shrewd Roman baker
named Julius Drasatus. One hundred
and thirty-seven years before the OPEN
ing Of the Christian era he made the
first sugar prims and offered them for
sale on the streets of Rome. Since then
candy has steadily maintained or rather
increased Its popularity. Its manufac~
lures and uses have for obvious reasons
fiuctuated In different countries as each
nation has developed the art OF its man.
ufacture I'M accordance with its own Pc
culiar tastes. There are probably more
different kinds OF candy to be bought
in New York city than anywhere else
in the world, since II Is a curious fact
that once a taste for a certain kind OF
candy Is acquired, Il is extremely dlfficult
to change Il.
To meet the demands OF the many
races which make up the population OF
io arxs
from their native lands aud many and
curious are the varieties which arrive at
this port. The CHINESE are past masters
In the art OF making strange and curious
varieties OF candies. seeming to take
peculiar satisfaction In planning and
making pulling shapes and forms. Two
OF the most curious OF these are the
candy orange and the candy egg, which
are nothing more than the orange peel
and the egg shell flled with some variety
Of native candy. but manipulated In such
a way that the purchaser cannot lind
the opening through which the original
contents We're removed and the sweet
Injected.
As compared TO candy, sugar, so far
as It's general cultivation and use is
considered, Is a comparative youngster
II was first prepared either from sugar
cane or bamboo. which belongs to the
same family, but investigators of the
subject have not been able TO agree as
TO where sugar cane was first cultivated
and no conclusion has yet, been reached
as to when sugar was first prepared.
According to one German scientist, the
cultivation of sugar cane was limited 10
Bengal until the fifth century after
Christ and then introduced Into the
Tigris Valley and later In the valley of
the Euphrates II Is fairly certain, how
ever, that by the tenth century sugar
Ngn ERann afaa In