The dough having been thoroughly mixed in the trough, is left for an hour or two to “prove,” and then, after being sprinkled with flour to prevent its sticking, is thrown out upon a board, or the lid of the next trough, and cut into pieces which are weighed, and afterwards moulded into loaves. The moulding is only learnt by practice. The piece of dough is cut in half and shaped according to the kind of loaf required, one piece forming the top of the loaf, being laid in a hollow of that which is to be the bottom, and the joint made by a skilful turn of the knuckles. The loaves are placed in the oven by means of the peel, and are packed at the back and sides as closely as possible, the cottage bread only being separate, that it may be crusted all round. The batch takes about two hours to bake. Biscuits are now mostly made by machinery, which in large establishments turns them out ready for the oven; but when they are wholly or partially made by hand, the dough is prepared and afterwards moulded into shapes, and each shape pricked with the _docker_, before being placed in the oven. [Illustration: Cornfield.] THE SUGAR REFINER. [Illustration: BOILING HOUSE.] Although sugar was known from very early times, it was used only in medicine, and was supposed to be a sort of honey found upon canes in India and Arabia. It is frequently mentioned by the very early writers. The culture of the canes seems to have been confined to the islands of the Indian Archipelago, and the kingdoms of Bengal, Siam, &c. The traffic in sugar was so lucrative that the Indians concealed the mode of preparing it, stating to the merchants of Ormus, who imported it with gums and spices, that it was extracted from a reed, whereupon many unsuccessful attempts were made to find it in the reed-like plants of Arabia. In 1250 the great discoverer, Marco Polo, visited the country of the sugar cane, and the merchants afterwards sent to the place of its growth, instead of buying it at Ormus. For a long period the use of sugar in England was confined to medicines, or to preparing choice dishes at feasts; and this continued till 1580, when it was brought from Brazil to Portugal, and thence to our country. Cultivators distinguish three great varieties of canes—the Creole, the Batavian, and the Otaheite. The Creole cane is indigenous to India, and was transplanted thence to Sicily, the Canary Isles, the Antilles, South America, and to the West Indies. It has dark green leaves, and a thin but very knotty stem. The Batavian or striped cane, which has a dense foliage, and is covered with purpled stripes, is a native of Java, where it is chiefly cultivated for the manufacture of rum; it is also met with in some parts of the New World and the West Indies. The Otaheite variety grows most luxuriantly, is the most juicy, and yields the largest product. It is cultivated chiefly in the West Indies and South America; it ripens in ten months, and is hardier than the other varieties.