SUGAR. 247 



The whole question of sugar has been very much confused 

 and embarrassed; sometimes designedly, as we have seen. 

 One common error has been adverted to, the error, namely, 

 of assuming that white sugar could not be made from cane- 

 juice direct. Another common error has been, the belief in 

 certain specific differences between different samples of cane 

 sugar. This is absolutely incorrect ; specimens of pure cane 

 sugar being absolutely identical, from whatever source derived. 



Here, too, let me explain the exact meaning of the term 

 * cane sugar. 9 It does not mean sugar that has been of ne- 

 cessity extracted from the cane., but sugar that, from what- 

 ever source extracted, is identical with the sort found in the 

 cane. Several distinct kinds of sugar are recognised by che- 

 mists ; the variation between them dependent on composition, 

 and chemical and physical quality. Of these different sugars 

 something may have to be written by and by ; but for the 

 present it is desired to fix attention upon that variety only 

 of sugar which assumes any commercial importance, the 

 variety, namely, denominated by chemists 'cane sugar, or 

 sugar of the cane.' 



As to the physical qualities of cane sugar, the more ob- 

 vious and prominent amongst them may be recognised in a 

 crystal of white sugar-candy, or white lump sugar; the only 

 difference between the two consisting in a variation of dimen- 

 sions of crystal.* Such, then, is pure normal or typical sugar 

 of the cane, a material not only procurable from the cane, 

 but from many other sources. Let us enumerate them- or 

 at least the chief amongst them. 



Having disposed of the sugar-cane proper, and stated, fbr 

 the advantage of all who need the statement, that the sugar- 

 cane is only a gigantic grass, it may now be mentioned, that 

 lit^ r,afi5 : :ro jxni?, SiEgat- todb 



* A certain journalist, carried away by the impulsive furor of fine writ- 

 ing, used the expression ' glittering cubes of crystal sugar.' MEM. 8ugar 

 crystallises in oblique prisms or derivatives of the same, never cubes. 

 well to be correct. 



