It is washed with sugar syrup, dissolved in hot water, clarified, and filtered first through cotton bags, then through bone-black filters, to remove as much of the color as possible, and again crys- tallized in vacuum pans. During the last process, the sugar is often "blued" to make it appear whiter. When we study in detail all the processes which sugar goes through, and all the machinery which is used in its manu- facture, it seems marvelous that sugar can be sold for a few cents a pound. Sugar from beets is manufactured by similar processes, but the juice is soaked out instead of being crushed out of the beet. As found on the market, the crystals of sugar from the one source are usually coarser than from the other, but the two are equally valuable. The United States produces sugar in large quantities, but more from cane than from beets. Europe, on the other hand, makes beet sugar. CANE AND BEET SUGAR 161 Refined sugar could also be manufactured from the sap of the sugar maple, although not very profitably, for the amount of sugar present is small ; but because the taste of the raw sugar is agreeable, maple sugar, as such, is put upon the market and obtains a good price. The amount of sugar used yearly is large. In this country, about eighty-five pounds per person is con- sumed, but of course some of this is used in industrial processes. It is only recently that sugar has been used freely, and it is still an open question whether such exten- sive use is desirable. Sugar not only lacks mineral salts, as has already been pointed out, but it shows some ten- dency to cause indigestion. In too great concentration, it abstracts water from the the mucous membrane. Sher- man suggests that this effect is easily illustrated by hold- ing a piece of hard candy in one side of the mouth for some time, without moving it. Then, too, sugar readily fer- ments in the stomach, and forms irritating acids. On the other hand, sugar is quickly digested and furnishes an immediate source of energy. In the household use of sugar, it should be remembered that the best time to eat sugar or candy is after meals. If taken with staple food, it often causes more to be eaten than is needed, or by cloying the appetite, produces the opposite effect. Taken between meals, it may upset the normal appetite. It is less likely to irritate the stomach, if taken with other food. Liberal amounts of water also tend to lessen the irritation. Sugar is a hearty food and can undoubtedly be used in larger quantities by very active people, hard laborers, and children, than by sedentary people, if it does not produce digestive disturbances. It is often carried by soldiers or mountain climbers because it is a concentrated food. 162 FOOD STUDY REFERENCES U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. Farmers' Bulletin No. 93. "Sugar as Food" or Farmers' Bulletin, No. 535. "Sugar and Its Value as Food." Journal of Home Economics. Vol. VII, p. 544. "The Consump- tion of Sugar." QUESTIONS 1. Make a list of common vegetables, giving season, amount needed for a family of four, and the probable cost of that amount when in season. (The work on this table may well be divided between the different members of the class.) 2. Make a list of the cheaper vegetables, and give as many ways of preparing each as you can find. Consult cook books. XXXII CANDIES A. Class Experiment. THE STAGES IN SUGAR COOKERY.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

It is washed with sugar syrup, dissolved in hot water, clarified, and filtered first through cotton bags, then through bone-black filters, to remove as much of the color as possible, and again crystallized in vacuum pans. During the last process, the sugar is often "blued" to make it appear whiter. When we study in detail all the processes which sugar goes through, and all the machinery which is used in its manufacture, it seems marvelous that sugar can be sold for a few cents a pound. Sugar from beets is manufactured by similar processes, but the juice is soaked out instead of being crushed out of the beet. As found on the market, the crystals of sugar from the one source are usually coarser than from the other, but the two are equally valuable. The United States produces sugar in large quantities, but more from cane than from beets. Europe, on the other hand, makes beet sugar. CANE AND BEET SUGAR 161 Refined sugar could also be manufactured from the sap of the sugar maple, although not very profitably, for the amount of sugar present is small ; but because the taste of the raw sugar is agreeable, maple sugar, as such, is put upon the market and obtains a good price. The amount of sugar used yearly is large. In this country, about eighty-five pounds per person is consumed, but of course some of this is used in industrial processes. It is only recently that sugar has been used freely, and it is still an open question whether such extensive use is desirable. Sugar not only lacks mineral salts, as has already been pointed out, but it shows some tendency to cause indigestion. In too great concentration, it abstracts water from the the mucous membrane. Sherman suggests that this effect is easily illustrated by holding a piece of hard candy in one side of the mouth for some time, without moving it. Then, too, sugar readily ferments in the stomach, and forms irritating acids. On the other hand, sugar is quickly digested and furnishes an immediate source of energy. In the household use of sugar, it should be remembered that the best time to eat sugar or candy is after meals. If taken with staple food, it often causes more to be eaten than is needed, or by cloying the appetite, produces the opposite effect. Taken between meals, it may upset the normal appetite. It is less likely to irritate the stomach, if taken with other food. Liberal amounts of water also tend to lessen the irritation. Sugar is a hearty food and can undoubtedly be used in larger quantities by very active people, hard laborers, and children, than by sedentary people, if it does not produce digestive disturbances. It is often carried by soldiers or mountain climbers because it is a concentrated food. U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. Farmers' Bulletin No. 93. "Sugar as Food" or Farmers' Bulletin, No. 535. "Sugar and Its Value as Food." Journal of Home Economics. Vol. VII, p. 544. "The Consumption of Sugar." 1. Make a list of common vegetables, giving season, amount needed for a family of four, and the probable cost of that amount when in season. (The work on this table may well be divided between the different members of the class.) 2. Make a list of the cheaper vegetables, and give as many ways of preparing each as you can find. Consult cook books. XXXII CANDIES A. Class Experiment. THE STAGES IN SUGAR COOKERY.

Food study