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 v 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 



