no On the Preparation of Sugar 



5. Expcrhncnt made to obtain Sugar Jrom Sioeriatt 



Cotv-parfnip. 



The Ruffian of Kamtfcbatfdale cow-parfnip, Heracleunt 

 Jphondyliuvi Linn. Heracleiim Sebiricum has been long 

 known as a faccharine plant. According to Sleller, it is 

 the mod abundant in faccharine matter next to the fugar- 

 cane. '-^ The Ruffians call it fvvcet-herb, and the inhabitants 

 of Kamtfchatka katjch. According to Gmelin, it is in no- 

 thing diflerent from common bear's breech ; but according 

 to others, it forms a peculiar fpecies Sphondylium Panaces. 

 The natives of Kamtfchatka gather the ftems and large ftalks 

 of the leaves, and having freed them from the leaves, fcrape 

 the external rind with mufcle-fiiells, and then leave them to 

 dry ill the fun. 



The natives of Kamtfchatka generally chew thefe dried 

 ftalks in order to extract from them the faccharine matter. 

 When the moifture of the juice has been evaporated in the 

 fmi, the furface of the ftem becomes covered with a white, 

 faccharine, mealy fubftance, which is feparated by fhaking 

 the llalks in leathern bags, and which is then preferved as 

 powder fugar. Forty pounds of dried ftems produce, how- 

 ever, fcarcely a quarter of a pound of this fugar, which there- 

 fore is fcarce. The ftems and roots of this plant are em- 

 ployed alfo by the natives of Kamtfchatka for preparing a 

 kind of brandy t. 



As I did not find the ftems of this plant nearly fo abun- 

 dant in faccharine matter as thofe growing in Siberia are faid 

 to be, I collefted about four pounds of the roots in the end 

 of harveft : they had a fweetidi tafte, fomething like that of 

 parfnips. I fcraped off the rind and then dried them, but I 

 could obferve on them no faccharine incruftation. I there- 

 fore rafped the whole four pounds, kneaded the rafpings with 

 water, and expreffed the juice, which had a fweetifh and 

 fomewhat fliarp tafte. I then boiled it with the white of an 

 ejjo;, by which it was clarified ; and having infpiflated the 

 liquor, it produced fix ounces of a brown and not unpleafant 



■ • Stcller's Rr/f n nach Ktwitfchatha, p. 84. 

 f GiUfclin clora Sebirica, Vol. I. p. 2.1^. 



fyrupy 



