PLANTS. 361 



known to us as brown sugar, by various methods, 

 which serve to elaborate the finest portions into loaf 

 sugar, and separate the thickened syrup, also well known 

 as molasses. Sugar has become an indispensable article 

 in domestic economy not only in the preparation of 

 food, beverages, or cordials used in every day life, but 

 is also employed medicinally. Rum is a distillation of 

 the fermented juice of the sugar cane. Sugar candy is 

 produced by a more elaborate process of refining ; and 

 in all the various forms of confectionary, preserves, etc., 

 sugar is the principal ingredient. The cultivation of the 

 sugar cane succeeds best in moist lands within the tropics, 

 and is, on this account, considered an unhealthy business 

 for Europeans ; it does not, however, seem to be attended 

 with the same deleterious effect to the natives or negroes. 

 This noble grass is propagated by sections or cuttings 

 from the root end, planted in hills or trenches, in spring 

 or autumn, something in the manner of hops. The cut- 

 tings take root from the joints underground, and from 

 those above send up shoots which grow so quickly, that in 

 from ten to fourteen months they are six to ten feet long, 

 and fit to send to the mill. Requires to be kept clear of 

 weeds, and, although of such luxuriant growth, exhausts 

 the earth so little that a good plantation will last from 

 ten to sixteen years, it. 



Rice (Oryza sativa) also has its flowers arranged in a 

 compressed panicle ; spikelets are uniflorous, on pedicels, 

 mostly without beards. It is, according to some, origin- 

 ally from the East Indies, others say Africa, but is now 

 cultivated in all warm climates. Asia, Africa, and 

 America furnish most. As rice contains a great deal of 

 starch, it is never used for making bread, but prepared 

 in various other ways for table use, forms an important 

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