CHAPTER XXIII. 



SUGAR PLANTS. 



The use of sugar as an article of diet is almost en- 

 tirely modern. As an ordinary food its use was no- 

 where common for. one hundred years after the dis- 

 covery of America. It came into use in the sixteenth 

 century in connection with the use of tea and coffee. 

 The annual output of sugar in the world during the 

 five years, 1885 to 1890, is estimated at rather more 

 than five million tons. 



The plants from which sugar is made, maple trees 

 excepted, have been cultivated from very remote times. 

 The plants which produce sugar (sucrose) are beets, 

 sugar cane, sorghum, the date palm and sugar and other 

 maples. A large number of the fruits contain sugar 

 but it is not extracted for commercial use. 



More sugar is made from date and similar palms 

 than from sorghum. Fifty years ago almost all the 

 sugar was made from sugar cane. There is now more 

 sugar made from sugar beets than from sugar cane. 



Sugar is produced in the United States from cane, 

 sorghum, beets and the sap of maple trees. It is 

 principally made from cane. A good article of syrup 

 has been made from watermelons. 



The United States produce about one- twentieth of 

 the world's supply of sugar. Louisiana is the princi- 

 pal sugar-producing state. 



An act of Congress taking effect July 1, 1891, pro- 

 vides that for fourteen years a bounty shall be paid 

 to persons producing more than 500 pounds of sugar 



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