SUGAR-PRODUCING PLANTS 219 



consistency is reached; at this point the sugar separates from the 

 syrup (molasses) in the form of crystals, which are removed from 

 the liquid by centrifuging or whirling the mass rapidly in a large 

 perforated pan. As a result the liquid is separated from the sticky 

 crystals which are washed with a fine spray of water, dried, and 

 packed into containers. Crude sugar is brown in color and about 

 96% pure. The molasses is often boiled repeatedly to remove 

 practically all of the crystal sugar, after which it may be used in 

 the manufacture of rum (see Chapter 14) or industrial alcohol, in 

 cooking or candymaking, or as a component of a valuable cattle 

 food consisting of the pressed fibrous cane mass sweetened with 

 the molasses, and known as molascuit. 



The sugar is transported in the raw or crude form from the 

 producing centers to the great consuming regions of the United 

 States and Europe, where refining, the final step in its prepara- 

 tion for the market, takes place. In this process the crystal sugar is 

 first washed to remove dirt, then dissolved in hot water, filtered, 

 and passed through bone black to whiten it. The resultant clear, 

 colorless syrup is recrystallized by boiling and centrifuging. A 

 reduction of about 7 % of the crude sugar occurs in refining, one 

 hundred pounds of raw sugar yielding about ninety three pounds 

 of refined sugar, and about three quarts of refined molasses. Loaf 

 and cube sugars are produced by adding a warrii sugar solution 

 to granulated sugar and molding it either in familiar sized cubes 

 or in larger blocks which are then sawed into cubes of the desired 

 size. Powdered sugar is manufactured by grinding granulated or 

 imperfect pieces of loaf sugar into a powder, then sieving through 

 a fine mesh cloth, and finally adding a small amount of starch 

 powder to prevent lumping! In recent years India has led in the 

 world production of cane sugar, followed in order by Cuba, 

 Japan, the Philippines, and Hawaii. The United States is the 

 world's greatest user of sugar, averaging about two pounds per 

 week per person, while Europe as a whole averages about three- 

 fourths pound per person per week. 



Beet Sugar 



The SUGAR BEET is the most recently exploited of man's sugar 

 producing plants. The existence of sugar in beets was demon- 

 strated about 1750, but no commercial development was begun 



