S U G

( 348 ) S U G

in the loaf is granular, owing to tlie agitationgiven to it for this exprefs purpofe whilft cool-ing. The commonelt form of the regular crys-tals of fugar candy is an oblique four-fidedprifm,. terminated by dihedral Summits.

A valuable fugar is extracted in many of theStates of North America , from the juice or fapof the fugar-maple. d The tree is tapped withan augre, which is introduced about two inches,and a projecting fpout is made below it, un-der which troughs are fet to catch the juice.The feafon for tapping is from February toApril, for about fix weeks, during which* time* moderate-fized tree will yield from 2o to 30gallons of fap, from which may be made about5 or 6 lbs. of pretty good fugar. During thereft of the year the fap will flow from thewound, but it is too thin and watery to be ul'edwith advantage for making fugar. This evacu-ation does not appear at all to injure the tree,for the fame procefs may be repeated everyyear for a great length of time ; and the juiceis even more faccharinefrom the trees that havebeen previoufly wounded* than from the frelhtrees.

This juice is clear, pleafant-tafted, and highlyfaccharine. Iris made into fugar by the farmersin the country, and with a Ample apparatus. It.is ufually clarified with lime and white of egg(or milk] boiled down, grained and clayed, In themanner of the eane juice. Another methodcccafionally praCtifed is, to reduce the quantityof liquid by freezing, where the feafon willallow of it, which is preferable to entire evapo-ration and cheaper. The common maple fugaris clean-looking, and very fweet, but with a pe-culiar though not unpleafant tafte. It may bemade into loaf fugar probably equally well withthe mufcovado, but it is chiefly employed in ahalf purified ftate, like the common moift fugars.The maple juice will alfofurnift> a pleafant wineby fermentation and a good vinegar.

The faccharine quality of the juice appears tobe highly improved by careful cultivation of thetree.

Among the vegetables indigenous to the mid-dle and north of Europe , which are fenfiblyfaccharine, the beet root is found to exceed themall in the quantity of fugar which it contains.This was afeertained by Marggraf , e in fomevaluable experiments made with a view of dif-covering fome native fugar which might be afubftitute for the foreign fugar, when the latter

* Dr. Rulh, I’iui. Mag. vol. I.

is expenfive and beyond the reach of the pea-»fant.

Two methods were purfued by this accuratechemift. One was to dry a given portion ofthe vegetable, to boil it in rectified alcohol,and then keep the alcoholic folution at reft fora time, by which the fugar will feparats incryftalline grains. This mode however is muchtoo expenfive to be purfued in manufacture, butit ferves as an ufeful indication of the comparativeproportions of fugar in different vegetables,though the aElual quantity obtainable by the ufualmode of manufacture appears to fall far fliort-of what is yielded by treatment with alcohol.

The other method was to imitate in the final!way the procefs performed on the fugar canejuice, which alfo was attended with a certaindegree of fuccefs. The experiments of thiscelebrated chemift are the following : three roots--were feleCted, the white beet, the red beet, and-the fkirret, all of which give evident indica-tions of abounding in fugar, for when cut inflices and dried their tafte is very fweet, and-the microfcope (hews a number of cryftalline'grains of fugar difperfed through their Cub-it ance.

Some flices of white beet thoroughly driedbut not burnt, were powdered coarfely, and 8oz. of this powder again dried, were put into »’bottle with 16 oz. of' highly rectified alcohol,and being looiely flopped, the liquor was (lowly-brought to boil on a fand-bath, with frequent(halting.. The veffel was then removed, thefolution filtered, and the powder prefted ftronglyto fqueeze out all the liquor. This clear folution 'was then put into a bottle which was corked,-and fet-by in a cool place. A cryftallized faitdepofited gradually in the courfe o-f fome weeks,which was hard and tolerably pure fugar. Thiswas rediffolved and again cryftallized in the fameway, by which a very pure fugar was obtained.In this way 8 oz. of the white beet root gavehalf an ounce or T V of fugar ;,8 oz. of fkirrebroot equally dried, gave 3 drams, or about —of fugar ; and the fame quantity of the red beetgave only 27 drams, or about -5-V of fugar. Thefolution however ftill contained a quantity offugar mixed with the relinous part of the root,and if it is evaporated to drynefs, a fweetifh un-cryftallized exiraCt remains.

The (kirret root was then treated in thefollowing manner without alcohol, with a viewof extracting the fugar. A quantity of it waschopped finall, bruifed in a mortar, and the juiceexpreffed through a cloth bag, and the pulp was• Mem. de l'Acid. de Berlin, for 1747.