THE MAKING OF SUGAR.
Where does our sugar come from? Does Nature prepare it for us, or do we have to work hard and long to get it? The little boy from the south knows something about sugar. He says that it is made from the sugar cane. Another- boy, who lives in -a northern valley, says that it is made from sugar beets. He has seen the beets growing over hundreds of acres. A third boy, whose home is among the wooded hills of the northern states, has never seen the sugar cane. He has helped the men make sugar from the sap of the maple tree. He thinks that maple sugar is better than any of the other kinds of sugar.
Each little boy knew something about sugar, but not all.
Much of the sugar which we use is made from the juice of the sugar cane. The growing sugar cane looks something like stalks of Indian corn. If you could bite a young stalk of sugar cane you would then understand how sweet its juice is.
The juice is obtained from the cane by pressing it between heavy rollers. The sweet liquid is then purified and evaporated. By this we mean that the water is driven off until there is left only a dark, thick syrup. The sugar crystallizes from the syrup just as salt does from water. Put a little salt in a dish of water. When the water has nearly dried up crystals of salt will commence to form around the edge of the basin.
After the sugar has crystallized, the syrup that is left is given another name. It is called molasses. The sugar is not white at first. It has to go through many processes before it comes out white and granular and ready for use upon our tables.
We have all seen beets growing in the garden and have often eaten them. You would hardly
think that they contained much sugar. Beets grow best in the dark rich soil of the temperate climate.
It is much more difficult to get the sugar from beets than it is from sugar cane. The beets after being dug are carried in wagons to the mill or factory. There they are washed and then crushed. The juice obtained is treated in many different ways. At last it comes out as white sugar which you can hardly tell from cane sugar.
The children of cold climates are, I am sure, most interested in maple sugar. The sap of many trees is sweet to taste, but that of the maple tree is best of all.
In the spring the trees begin to awake from their winter sleep. The sun warms the air; and the warm air Sends the sap up again from the roots through the trunk and branches. Soon the buds will swell and the leaves will come out.
When the sap first begins to flow up the tree trunks men go into the woods and bore holes in the trees. Then they drive spouts into the holes. The spouts carry the sap away and let it fall drop by drop into pails which are placed underneath.
When the pails are full they are carried to a great kettle and the sap is emptied into it. A hot fire is kept up under the kettle and the sap is boiled down until it forms a thick syrup or molasses.
How nice the syrup tastes when it has become thick. When the syrup has boiled enough it is emptied into small dishes. As soon as it is cold we have our cakes of maple sugar. This sugar is better than candy and more healthful.