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Of Sugar-Cane

The Description. 1 SUgar Cane is a pleasant and profitable Reed, having long stalkes seven or eight foot high, joynted or kneed like unto the great Cane; the leaves come forth of every joynt on every side of the stalke one, like unto wings, long, narrow, and sharpe pointed. The Cane it selfe, or stalke is not hollow as the other Canes or Reeds are, but full, and stuffed with a spongeous substance in taste exceeding sweet. The root is great and long, creeping along within the upper crust of the earth, which is likewise sweet and pleasant, but less hard or woody than other Canes or Reeds; from the which there doth shoot forth many young siens, which are cut away from the maine or mother plant, because they should not draw away the nourishment from the old stocke, and so get unto themselves a little moisture, or else some substance not much worth, and cause the stocke to be barren, and themselves little the better; which shoots do serve for plants to set abroad for encrease.

The Place.

The Sugar Cane groweth in many parts of Europe at this day, as in Spaine, Portugal, Olbia, and in Provence. It groweth also in Barbarie, generally almost every where in the Canarie Islands, and in those of Madera, in the East and West Indies, and many other places. My selfe did plant some shoots thereof in my garden, and some in Flanders did the like: but the coldnesse of our clymat made an end of mine, and I think the Flemmings will have the like profit of their labour.

The Time.

This Cane is planted at any time of the yeare in those hot countries where it doth naturally grow, by reason they feare no frosts to hurt the young shoots at their first planting.

The Names.

The Latines have called this plant Arundo Saccharina, with this additament, Indica, because it was first knowne or brought from India. Of some it is called, Calamus Saccharatus: in English, Sugar Cane. The Use.

Of the juyce of this Reed is made the most pleasant and profitable sweet, called Sugar, whereof is made infinite confections, confectures, Syrups and such like, as also preserving and conserving of sundry fruits, herbes, and floures, as Roses, Violets, Rosemary floures, and such like, which still retaine with them the name of Sugar, as Sugar Roset, Sugar Violet, &c. The which to write of would require a peculiar volume, and not pertinent unto this historie, for that it is not my purpose to make of my booke a Confectionary, a Sugar Bakers furnace, a Gentlewomans preserving pan, nor yet an Apothecaries shop or Dispensatorie; but onely to touch the chiefest matter that I purposed to handle in the beginning, that is, the nature, properties, and descriptions of plants. Notwithstanding I thinke it not amisse to shew unto you the ordering of these reeds when they be new gathered, as I received it from the mouth of an Indian my servant: he saith, They cut them in small pieces, and put them into a trough made of one whole tree, wherein they put a great stone in manner of a mill-stone, whereunto they tie a horse, buffle, or some other beast which draweth it round: in which trough they put those pieces of Canes, and so crush and grind them as we doe the barkes of trees for Tanners, or apples for Cyder. But in some places they use a great wheele wherein slaves doe tread and walke as dogs do in turning the spit: and some others doe feed as it were the bottome of the said wheele, wherein are some sharpe or hard things which doe cut and crush the Canes into powder. And some likewise have found the invention to turne the wheele with water works, as we doe our Iron mills. The Canes being thus brought into dust or powder, they put them into great cauldrons with a little water, where they boile untill there be no more sweetnesse left in the crushed reeds. Then doe they straine them through mats or such like things, and put the liquor to boile againe unto the consistence of hony, which being cold is like unto sand both in shew and handling, but somewhat softer; and so afterwards it is carried into all parts of Europe, where it is by the Sugar Bakers artificially purged and refined to that whitenesse as we see.