CHAPTER XIX 

 SUGAR-CANE 



No discussion of the sugar-beet would be complete 

 without mention being made of its great rival, sugar- 

 cane. The beet furnishes a comparatively new source of 

 sugar, whereas cane has been a commercial source of 

 sugar for centuries. If sugar-cane could be raised in 

 temperate climates in as great profusion as it grows in 

 the tropics, sugar would probably never be obtained com- 

 mercially from the sugar-beet, since the yield of cane is 

 much greater than that of beets, and the expense of han- 

 dling the crop is very much less. 



Sugar-cane, however, is confined to hot countries ; this 

 means that sugar made from it has to be transported great 

 distances in order to reach the big markets, which are 

 found in the centers of population. This gives beet- 

 sugar a much better chance to compete. No one can 

 predict exactly the relative production of cane- and beet- 

 sugar in the future. It seems probable that both crops 

 will continue to be raised, each one supplying the market 

 that it can reach most easily. 



The sugar-cane plant belongs to the grass family, and 

 is usually classed in the genus Saccharum, although it was 

 formerly known as Arundo saccharifera. Many varieties 



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