136 



in parcels of six or seyen arrobas, by waggons, from Santa Fe to 

 Jugui, and tlience by mules to Potosi, La Paz, and into Peru 

 proper. About four piastres per arroba is the price in Paraguay, 

 and at Potosi it fetches from eight to nine, and more in proportion 

 as it is carried further," 



SUGAE. 



SiiGAE is obtained from-niany grasses ; and, indeed, is common in 

 a large number of plants. It is procm-ed in Italy from SorgJium 

 saccliaratim ; in China, from Saccliarum sinense ; in Brazil, from 

 Gynerium saccharoides ; in the West Indies, from saccliarum 

 molaceim ; and in many other parts of the world from & officinarum. 

 The last two are commonly known as sugar canes, and they are 

 generally considered as varieties of a single species, ^S'. officinarum. 

 which is now widely spread over different parts of the world. 



Some curious specimens of palm sugars were exhibited at the 

 Great Exhibition of 1851, among others, — gomuti palm sugar 

 {Arenga saccJiarifera) from Java; date palm sugar, from the Deccan ; 

 nipa sugar, from the stems of Nipa friiticavs. and sugar from the 

 iSeshy flowers of IBassia latifolia, — -an East Indian tree. 



Among the other sugars shown were beet root sugar, maple 

 sugar, date sugar, from Dacca, sugar from the butter tree {Bassia 

 huti/racea), produced in the division of Eohekkund, in India; and 

 sugar candy, crystallized by the natives of Calcutta and other 

 parts of India. 



Sugar and molasses from the grape, were also shown from Spain, 

 Timis and the Zollverein. 



Sugar, or sugar cand}'', has been made in China from very remote 

 antiquity, and large quantities have been exported from India, in 

 all ages, whence it is most probable that it found its way to Eome. 



The principal impurities to be sought for in cane sugar are in- 

 organic matter, water, molasses, farina, and grape, or starch sugar. 

 The latter substance is occasionally, for adulterating purposes, 

 added in Europe to cane sugar; it may be detected by the 

 action of concentrated sulphuric acid and of a solution of caustic 

 potassa ; the former blackens cane sugar, but does not affect the 

 starch sugar, while potassa darkens the color of starch sugar, but 

 does not alter that of cane sugar. But the copper test is far more 

 delicate. Add to the solution to be tested, a few drops of blue 

 vitriol, and then a quantity of potassa solution, and apply heat ; if 

 the cane sugar is pure, the liquor Avill remain blue, while, if it be 

 adulterated with starch sugar, it will assume a reddish yellow color. 



Inorganic matter is determined by incineration, farina by the 

 iodine test, water by drying at 210 deg., and molasses by getting 

 rid of it by re-crystahzation from alcohol, as also by the color and 

 moisture of the article. 



The natui^al impurities of sugar are gum and tannin ; gum is 

 detected by giviug a white precipitate with diacetate of lead, and 



