SUGAR. 81 



security against the attacks of animals, whose fondness 

 for mucilage, would cause them to wound the trees 

 which afford it. The different species of Mimosa, the 

 Astragalus Tragacantha, as well as the Plumb, in their 

 native situations, are in this way defended, and from 

 them the most perfect examples of gum are obtained. 

 It is also procured from the Lichens which cover some 

 tracts of land, and abound on the bark of decaying trees ; 

 and the gum which is thus obtained, has been substitut- 

 ed for the more costly productions of Arabia and Crete. 

 The leaves of various species of Mallows, and the seeds 

 of Quinces, furnish familiar examples of mucilage near- 

 ly allied to the preceding. 



SUGAR. — To the secretion of plants, we owe the 

 existence of Sugar. It has long been employed by the 

 Chinese, and previous to their invasion by the Span- 

 iards, the natives of this continent, were in the habit of 

 extracting it from the stalk of the Corn, which they 

 cultivated for food, and from the Virginian Aloe, Agave 

 Virginica, which grows spontaneously at the South. In 

 one of the Mexican cities, the Spaniards found a large 

 supply of sugar which had been in this way procured. 

 It was unknown in Europe until the nfth century, when 

 one of the Fathers describing the province of Choras- 

 san, mentioned among its charms the " valley of 

 Saporem, where the precious sugar was made." It 

 has now become an essential article of food, employed 

 to a greater or less extent by all the nations of Europe, 

 and by all the civilized world. In tropical countries 

 it is commonly obtained from the expressed juice of the 

 Saccharum Officinarum or Sugar Cane, but the Maple of 

 fhe North, yields it equally pure and scarcely less abun- 

 dant. It exists also in the roots of some, and in the 



