de of stove, to keep the sugar warm; take
a large knife in the left hand and hold it out straight before you;
take a silver spoon in the right hand, dip it into the sugar without
touching the bottom of kettle and let some of the sugar run off from
the spoon; then spin long threads back and forth over the knife from
right to left; after a considerable amount of sugar is spun in this
way take it from the knife, lay on clean paper and spin the rest in
like manner; when all is spun form the sugar into pompoms, garlands,
bouquets, etc. Half the sugar may be colored with cochineal to a
delicate pink. The sugar should be spun in a place free from
draughts and in clear and dry weather. This sugar is used for
decorating and trimming dishes.

941. +Boiling Sugar.+-- Put 1 pound sugar into a kettle with 1/2 pint
water and let it stand for a few minutes; then put it over the fire
to boil; while the boiling is going on dip a small brush into cold
water and wipe off the sides and edge of kettle; the different
grades the sugar goes through in boiling are as follows:--1st grade,
broad run; 2d grade, small pearl; 3d grade, large pearl; 4th grade,
the small blubber; 5th grade, the large blubber; 6th grade, to a
crack; 7th grade, caramel; boil the sugar for a few minutes and dip
the point of a spoon into it; if the sugar falls in large drops from
the spoon it has reached the 1st grade; continue the boiling for a
few minutes longer; dip your first finger into it and press the
finger against the thumb; then open the fingers and if the sugar
forms a thread between the 2 fingers it has reached the 2d grade;
after boiling a little longer dip in a spoon and if a pearl hangs
onto a long thread of the spoon the sugar has reached the 3d grade;
after a few minutes longer boiling take a little in a spoon, blow it
and if the sugar falls from the spoon in blubbers it has reached the
4th grade; after a few minutes longer take a little of the sugar
between your fingers and quickly dip into cold water; if the sugar
can be formed into a ball it has reached the 5th grade; after a few
minutes longer dip the finger into the sugar and then quickly into
cold water; if the sugar can be broken it has reached the 6th grade;
then set the saucepan in cold water; if it boils a few minutes
longer it will have reached the 7th grade, or caramel. The principal
care in boiling sugar is to use the exact amount of water. With too
little water the sugar will curdle before