100 FIELD, FOREST AND FARM 



into sugar by the action of heat. Beans, peas, both 

 as hard as bullets in the dry state and of no agree- 

 able flavor, are unmistakably sweetened by being 

 boiled in water and having their starch acted on 

 by heat. Our various farinaceous foods behave in 

 the same way. Ingenuity brings into play a more 

 powerful agent than heat alone to convert the starch 

 into sugar. It is boiled in water and during the 

 boiling a little sulphuric acid or oil of vitriol is 

 added. Under the influence of this energetic fluid 

 the starch is changed into a sugary syrup. It is of 

 course to be understood that this syrup, as soon as 

 it has been thus produced, is separated from the oil 

 of vitriol which has served to make it. 



"The sugar thus obtained is a soft, sticky sub- 

 stance, and almost as sweet as honey, but very differ- 

 ent from ordinary sugar, which is solid and comes in 

 beautiful white loaves. 1 It is called starch-sugar 

 or glucose. Confectioners use it a great deal. 

 When you crunch a sugar-plum — and I am persuaded 

 that you do not underestimate the excellence of 

 sugar-plums — do you know what you are eating? A 

 composition of starch and starch-sugar. I pass over 

 the almond in the center; that is beside the ques- 

 tion." 



"Do you mean to say," demanded Jules, "that a 

 bag of sugar-plums comes from such stuff as pota- 

 toes and oil of vitriol?" 



"Such is undoubtedly the origin of the delicious 

 sugar-plum," was the reply; "and indeed many of 



i The old fashioned loaf-sugar is here meant. — Translator. 



