THE CARBOHYDRATES PRODUCED IN CROPS 115 



the beet itself is used as the filter and purifier. The 

 albuminoids and the gums do not diffuse through the cell- 

 wall as readily as the sugar, and therefore the sugar solution 

 obtained is in a much purer condition than that obtained 

 from the sugar cane. The other substances present in raw 

 cane sugar are pleasant to the taste, and probably most 

 people prefer the flavour of brown sugar to white when it is 

 made from cane. It is rather the appearance of white cane 

 sugar that gives it a high value. The impurities in sugar 

 beet include substances which are bitter to the tongue 

 and musty smelling to the nose, and the purification does 

 not entirely remove these impurities, though they are too 

 small in amount to estimate. The general process of 

 purification is much the same as in the case of cane. Where 

 the resulting beet slices extracted can be used as cattle 

 food it may easily be more profitable not to attempt to remove 

 the last trace of sugar, but to leave a little in for the cattle 

 food. The cultivation of sugar beet accommodates itself 

 well to the ordinary types of mixed agriculture adopted in 

 temperate climates, especially where the production of milk 

 and meat form an essential part of agriculture. This is 

 an undoubted advantage which the sugar beet possesses over 

 the sugar cane, inasmuch as the sugar cane gives no useful 

 by-product and does not lend itself so well to the working 

 of the general agricultural plan. 



About eleven tons of clean beet per acre represent 

 the European average production, with about 16 per cent, of 

 sugar obtainable from them, or, say, roughly two tons of 

 sugar per acre. This is much below the best production 

 of cane sugar, but it is very difficult to get average figures of 

 the production of cane sugar, since there are such large 

 amounts grown in a very primitive manner. Experience 

 is, however, showing that no nation can afford to be entirely 

 dependent upon outside sources, and at least some fraction 

 of the necessary sugar may have to be grown in Great 

 Britain, even if it is not economically profitable. The other 

 parts of the British Empire are more nearly self-supporting 

 as regards sugar. 



