Agricultural Cuba 12 



SUGAR PRODUCING PLANTS 



There are two classes of sugar in nature, which 

 may, for lucidity, be called single sugars and 

 double sugars. Cane sugar, milk sugar, malt 

 sugar, are some of the double sugars. Grape 

 sugar, and fruit sugar are common single sugars. 



Single sugars are produced from double sugars 

 by submitting them either to heat, acid or 

 ferment. The double sugars are of no use as 

 food while they remain in their double state. 

 They cannot be assimilated in the human body 

 for the formation of organic tissue and the pro- 

 duction of heat and energy. Only the single 

 sugars are available for this purpose. 



Cane sugar has two and one-half times the sweet- 

 ening power of fruit sugar and more than two and 

 one-half times the sweetening power of grape sugar. 



Sugar has been manufactured for centuries 

 from different species of plants by the natives of 

 India. The bamboo is a sugar-producing plant 

 which was utilized by the people of Asia and is 

 supposed to be the first plant from which sugar 

 was extracted. Sugar is manufactured from 

 raisins in practically all of the countries of South- 

 ern Europe and Western Asia. 



Indian Corn has been used experimentally in 

 the manufacture of sugar, while sorghum, or 

 Chinese cane, with a high sugar content, yields 

 a large syrup crop, but for chemical reasons, 

 little or no sugar. 



Sugar has been produced in the United States 

 from watermelons. 



But for practical purposes, the commercial 

 sugar of the world is produced from the juice of 

 the cane or the beet. 



