CHAPTER 23 



Sugar Crops (Cane, Beet and maple Sugar, and Sorghum) 



By W. H. Darst 

 Assistant Professor of Agronomy, The Pennsylvania State College 



The world's sugar supply is manufactured from two plants, namely, 

 the sugar-beet (Beta vulgaris) and the sugar-cane (Saccharum officinarum). 

 The amount of sugar secured from the maple tree is insignificant. 



SUGAR-BEETS 



The development of the sugar-beet industry dates back to March 18, 

 1811, when the French Emperor dictated a note to his Minister of the 

 Interior, instructing him to see that 90,000 acres of beets were planted. 

 He then appropriated 1,000,000 francs with which to establish schools of 

 instruction, and to be given in bonuses to those who erected factories. 

 Even though sugar-beet was an unknown crop, the farmers were compelled 

 to grow them. At the end of two years France was producing 7,700,000 

 pounds of sugar. By 1836 the production of sugar in France amounted to 

 40,000 tons. At this time Germany observed that sugar-beets in France 

 had revolutionized French agriculture. By growing beets in the rotation 

 the yield of all the cereals was increased to an even greater extent than where 

 turnips were grown, as in England. Up to this time Germany had not been 

 able to induce her farmers to grow beets of their own accord. Germany 

 then adopted the French plan of governmental aid to establish the industry. 

 Other European countries soon followed the same plan, with the result that 

 today one-half of the world's supply of sugar is derived from European 

 sugar-beets.' 1 



The following table gives the total world's production of beet and cane 

 sugar compared: 



(318) 



