Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 19, Scripture-SUG

Sugar.
S U G [
times remarkable exceptions. Samuel Lowe, Efq. a
49
Tills quan¬
tity might
be increa-
the wood
in the
fpring
months.
juftice of peace in Montgomery county, in the ftate of
New York, informed Arthur Noble, Efq. that he had
made twenty pounds and one ounce of fugar between the
14th and 23d ot April, in the year 17895 from a iingle
tree that had been tapped for feveral fucceflive years be¬
fore.
From the influence which culture has upon foreft and
be increa- °ther treeS’ lt has been ruPP°red» that by tranfplanting
fedbycul- the %ar maple-tree into a garden, or by deftroying
ture. fuch other trees as (belter it from the rays of the fun, the
quantity of the fap might be increafed, and its quality
much improved. A farmer in Northampton county, in
the (late of Pennfylvania, planted a number of thefe
trees above twenty years ago in his meadow, from three
gallons of the fap of which he obtains every year a pound
of fugar. It was obferved formerly, that it required five
or fix gallons of the fap of the trees which grow in the
woods to produce the fame quantity of fugar.
Thei'apdi- The fap diilils from the wood of the tree. Trees
tills from which have been cut down in the winter for the fupport
of the domeftic animals of the new fettlers, yield a con-
fiderable quantity of fap as foon as their trunks and
limbs feel the rays of the fun in the fpring of the year.
It is in confequence of the fap of thefe trees being equal¬
ly diffufed through every part of them, that they live
three years after they are girdled, that is, after a circu¬
lar incifion is made through the bark into the fubftance
of the tree for the purpofe of deftroying it. It is re¬
markable that grafs thrives better under this tree in a
meadow, than in fituations expofed to the conftant ac¬
tion of the fun. The feafon for tapping the trees is in
Februaty, March, and April, according to the weather
which occurs in thefe months.
Warm days and frofty nights are moft favourable to
a plentiful difcharge of fap. The quantity obtained in
a day from a tree is from five gallons to a pint, accord¬
ing to the greater or lefs heat of the air. Mr Lowe
informed Arthur Noble, Efq. that he obtained near
three and twenty gallons of fap in one day (April 14.
1789) from the Angle tree which was before mention¬
ed. Such inftances of a profufion of fap in Angle trees
are however not very common.
# There is always a fufpenfion of the difcharge of fap
fap is drain- in the night if a froft fucceed a warm day. The perfo-
ed from the ration in the tree is made with an axe or an auger. The
tree* latter is preferred from experience of its advantages.
The auger is introduced about three quarters of an inch,
and in £m afcendiag dire&ion (that the fap may not be
frozen in a flow current in the mornings or evenings),
and is afterwards deepened gradually to the extent of
5*
Is increafed
by warm
days and
frofty
nights.
5*
How the
807 ] S U G
two inches. A fpout is introduced about half an inch Sugar
into the hole made by this auger, and projEfts from „ . II .
three to twelve inches from the tree. The fpout is ge- Suglllatiou;
nerally made of the fumach or elder, which ufually
grows in the neighbourhood of the fugar trees. I he
tree is firft tapped on the fouth fide 5 when the difcharge
of its fap begins to leffen, an opening is made on the
north fide, from which an increafed difcharge takes
place. The fap flows from four to fix weeks, according
to the temperature of the weather. Troughs large e*
nough to contain three or four gallons, made of white
pine,- or white alh, or of dried water alh, afpen, linden,
poplar, or common maple, are placed under the fpout to
receive the fap, which is carried every day to a large
receiver, made of either of the trees before mentioned.
From this receiver it is conveyed, after being ftrained
to the boiler.
, We underftand that there are three modes of reducing Is reduced '
the fap to fugar 5 by evaporation, by freezing, and by t0 fu§ai' b>’
boiling j of which the latter is moft general, as being thrf
the moft expeditious. We are farther allured, that the
profit of the maple tree is not confined to its fugar. It
affords moft agreeable melafles, and an excellent vine,
gar. The fap which is fuitable for thefe purpofes is ob¬
tained after the fap which affords the fugar has ceafed to
flow, fo that the manufa&ories of thefe different pro-
du£ts of the maple tree, by fucceeding, do not interfere
with each other. The melaffes may be made to com-
pofe the bafis of a pleafant fummer beer. The fap of
the maple is moreover capable of affording a fpirit; but
we hope this precious juice will never be proftituted to
this ignoble purpofe. Should the ufe of fugar in die?t
become more general in this country (fays Dr Ruff) it
may tend to leffen the inclination or luppoled neceflity
for fpirits, for I have obferved a reliff for fugar in
diet to be feldom accompanied by a love for ftrong
drink. 6
There are feveral other vegetables raifed in our own Sugar4pro-
country which afford fugar j as beet-roots, Ikirrets, parf-cured from
neps, potatoes, celeri, red cabbage ftalks, the young manyother
ffoots of Indian wheat. The fugar is moft readily ob- veSeta^^es’
tained from thefe, by making a tindure of the fubjed
in redified fpirit of wine; which, when faturated by
heat, will depofit the fugar upon Handing in the cold.
Sugar of Milk. See Milk, Chemistry Index.
Acid of Sugar. See Chemistry Index.
SUGI ELATION, in Medicine, an extravafation of
blood in the coats of the eye, which at firft appears of a
reddiff colour, and afterwards livid or black. If the *
diforder is great, bleeding and purging are proper, as
are alfo difcutients. 1
END OF THE NINETEENTH VOLUME.
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