88 THE BOOK OF USEFUL PLANTS 



tages of a mild climate with plenty of sunshine 

 give California the advantage. The beets contain 

 a higher percentage of sugar than those of any 

 other country. The season lasts practically 

 throughout the year, which keeps the mills busy, 

 and a vast army of workers continuously em- 

 ployed. 



The beets are planted in rows with a drill, and 

 carefully tilled. They are dug by machines, but 

 hand work is required to cut off the tops with the 

 leaves attached. Slicing by machinery follows. 



The pulp left after the sugar has been extracted 

 is put down in silos, or fed fresh to cattle. The 

 molasses is converted into alcohol. 



SUGAR MAPLES 



The making of sugar from cane and beets 

 requires elaborate machinery. It is no simple 

 home industry. But anybody who has a few 

 sugar maple trees, and a fair amount of patience, 

 can make maple sugar as good as any. The rich, 

 sugary sap begins to flow early in the year. Holes 

 are bored into the saturated wood to lead it out 

 into buckets. The hollow drainpipes first used 

 were "spiles," made of the large-pithed elder-bush, 

 and driven into the holes as they were bored. 



