SUGAR 167 



sylvestris. At 350 trees per acre, a fair estimate, this 

 would yield 3*6 tons of raw sugar per acre. From 

 information I have been able to gather, the yield of sugar 

 from Borassus would considerably surpass the yields from 

 Phoenix, and Gibbs's figure for Nipa would seem t-> 

 promise large acreage yields of sugar in the case of that 

 plant. 



It must be noted that the figures I have quoted for 

 Phoenix are figures actually being obtained by a most 

 wasteful process. 



Advantages of Production of Sugar from Palms. 



The following are the chief advantages which palms 

 offer as. a source of sugar supply. 



(ij The certainty of the yield from year to year. 

 One need have no fear of drought or flood. These 

 phenomena are practically without effect on the yield. 



(2) Small annual cost of upkeep of plantation, 



(3) No outlay is necessary for crushing machinery, 

 which is a large item in cane sugar factories. 



(4) The long season possible, owing to the fact that 

 different palms yield sugar at different seasons of the 

 year, e.g., Phoenix from November to beginning of 

 March, and Borassus from March to August. 



(5) Easy Factory Treatment of Juice. The juice, when 

 fresh, can be read direct in the polariscope. This gives 

 a rough idea of its cleanliness. It would require much 

 less defecation than cane or beet juice. Owing to the 

 reaction of the juice, even liming would be unnecessary. 



(6) Yield per Acre. It would seem possible, by better 

 cultivation and plant selection, to increase largely the 

 yield per acre and thus obtain larger yields than from 

 cane. 



Disadvantages of Palms as a Commercial Source of 

 Sugar. 



(i) Lack of Fuel. In the cane sugar industry the dried 

 bagasse, obtained after extracting juice from the cane, 

 supplies sufficient fuel for the factory's need. We have 

 no such fuel in the case of palm trees. 



