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.. 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 
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