Of Sugar Cane.
The description.
Sugar Cane is a pleasant and profitable Reede, hauing long stalkes, seuen or eight foote high, iointed or kneed like unto the great Cane: the leaues come foorth of euery ioint on euery 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 Reedes are; but full, and stuffed with a spungious substance in taste exceeding sweete: the roote is great and long, creeping along within the upper crust of the earth, which is likewise sweete and pleasant, but lesse hard or wooddie then other Canes or Reedes: from the which there doth shoote foorth manie yoong sciences, which are cut away from the maine or mother plant, bicause they should not drawe away the nourishment from the old stocke, and so get unto themselues a little moisture, or else some substance not much woorth, and cause the stocke to be barren, and themselues little the better, which shootes do serue for plants to set abroad, for encrease. Harundo Saccharina. Sugar Reede.
The place.
The sugar Cane groweth in many parts of Europe at this day, as Spaine, Portugale, Olbia and in Prouence. It groweth also in Barbarie, generally almost euery where in the Canarie Ilands, and in those of Madera, in the east & west Indies, and manie other places. My selfe did plant some shootes thereof in my garden, and some in Flaunders did the like: but the coldnes of our Clymate made an end of mine, and I thinke the Flemmings will haue the like profit of their labour.
The time.
This Cane is planted at any time of the yeere in those hot countries where it doth naturally growe, by reason they feare no frostes to hurt the yoong shootes at their first planting.
The names.
The Latines haue called this plant Arundo Saccharina, with this additament Indica: bicause it was first known, or brought from India. Of some it is called Calamus Saccharatus: in English Sugar Cane: in Dutch Suijckerriet.
The vertues.
The Sugar or iuice of this Reede is of a temperate qualitie: it drieth and clenseth the stomacke, maketh smooth the roughnesse of the breast and lungs, cleereth the voice, and putteth away hoarsnes, the cough, and all sowrenes and bitternes, as Isaac saith in Dictis. The use. Of the iuice of this Reede is made the most pleasant and profitable sweete, called Sugar, whereof is made infinite confections, confectures, sirupes, and such like, as also preseruing and conseruing of sundrie fruits, herbes and flowres; as Roses, Violets, Rosemary, flowres, 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 vnto this historie, for that it is not my purpose to make of my booke a confectionarie, a Sugar bakers furnace, a gentlewomans preseruing 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 shewe vnto you the ordering of these Reedes when they be new gathered, as I receiued it from the mouth of an Indian my seruant, he saith: They do cut them in small peeces, & put them into a trough made of one whole tree, wherein they put a great stone in maner of a milstone, whereunto they tie a horse, busle, or some other beast which draweth it rounde: in which trough, they put those peeces of Canes, and so crush and grinde them, as we do the barkes of trees for Tanners, or apples for Cyder. But in some places they vse a great wheele, wherein slaues do tread and walke, as dogs do in turning the spit: and some others do feede as it were the bottome of the said wheele, wherein are some sharpe or hard things, which do cut and crush the Canes into powder. And some likewise haue found the inuention to turne the wheele with water workes, as we do our iron mils. The Canes being thus brought into dust or powder, they do put them into great cauldrons with a little water, where they boile vntill there be no more sweetenes left in the crushed reede. Then do they straine them through mats and such like things, and put the liquor to boile againe vnto the consistence of honie, which being cold, is like vnto sand both in shewe and handling, but somewhat softer: and so afterward it is caried into all parts of Europe; where it is by the Sugar bakers artificially purged and refined to that whitenes, as we see.
Text in Gerard's own spelling (the long s is printed as s), transcribed by the Source Library (CC BY-SA 4.0). A chapter may run onto pages not yet transcribed. Gerard wrote within Galenic medicine; nothing here is advice.