The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-06


duced annually in the world The pro
duction Of beet sugar in the United
states last YEAR was "A, goo 600 pounds
In 1891 it was only 5000, 0O1 pounds IL is
rapidly growing, while the output Of the
sugar cane is standing still The cane
can be grown only in the far south. ON
the other hand millions of acres in this
country. between the 42nd and 4sth de
Rrees of latitude, are as well adapted to
the sugar beet as any land on the earth
We pay to Germany Sl6,O0O,000 per an
mum Tor beet sugar, which is produced in
Prussia on the same line of latitude as
frozen Labrador
TIRE plscovERER OF Rect SUGAR.
A Freedman named Archard, $50
years ago, discovered that sugar might
be protita6lH obtained from the garden
beet. He devoted his life to the develop
ment Of what was destined to become a
gigantic industry. But. as is apt to be
the case with discoveries, he met with
nothing but misfortune. He died too
soon to see the. rpening of the first fruits
of his efforts
The ordinary garden beet contains or
b per cent of sugar. However its sugar
producing capacity has been developed by
cultivation to such an extent that the I'm
proved vegetable now yields from II to Is
per cent, or as much as the sugar cane
selection of seed When the beets are
harvested few selected ones are picked
out and pres rved. Choice is made of
those which are perfect in form. with
long and tapering tap roots, smooth on
the outside and weighing about one
pound. These are stored away until
spring, when their qualities are tested by
cutting from each one small plug. This
does not impair the vitality of beets
Those beets which are found on ANALYSIS
TO contain most sugar, are planted out to
produce seed for the next wears crop
They are called mother beets"
BY this process of artificial selection,
carried on year after year, a distinct
variety, very rich in sugar, has been OBJ
tanned. The sugar beet is now grown in
California, Nebraska and Utah After
the beets are taken from the ground, the
leaves are cut off, together with the
necks. The neck contains too much
potash and other mineral matters The
roots are then washed in a machine, so as
to remove every particle of dirt. after
which they are sliced and submitted to
an elaborate process for the purpose of
separating the Juice. condensing il, and
reducing it to crystals. The exhausted
slices, termed chips" are used for cattle
food. The waste material is enormous in
quantity, OF course, and the cultivation
OF beets for sugar cannot be made profit
able unless the refuse is disposed of for
forage.
The juice is expressed from sugar cane
by heavy rollers A large mill will crush
800 tons of cane a day The residue is
used as fuel in the factory The cane
contains 30 per cent. of Juice. but only
about 20 per cent, is extracted, The Juice
IS carried to clarifying tanks, where it is
treated with lime to neutraize the acids
III 1t. IL is concentrated by heat to
syrup, which is evaporated to form
crystals. The crystals are separated
from the molasseS by centrifugal force IN
revolving baskets of fine wire. The mo-
lasses runs through the gauze, leaving
the crystals behind. In the process Of
refining, the sugar is dccolorizeG by pass
ing it through bone charcoal.
THE SUGAR CANE.
The sugar cane is kind of erass-a
pointed reed, about twelve feet high or
dinarily. When ripe it bears a tassel
containing minute seeds In this country
it is grown in Louisiana. Texas and Flor.
ida. In the first two of these states the
tassel is not developed usually the eli
mate not being warm enough to ripen the
plant perfectly. In tropical countries the
cane attains hight of twenty feet some
times. The reeds are planted in rows
eight feet apart. The seeds are not used
for propagation. AT the yoints are germs
called eyes, - and these, when planted,
produce the canes. The latter do not
stand upright, but are bent over A ripe
cane field is a beautiful sight--a dense
jungle of almost impenetrable vendura
Nerly a hundred kinds of sugars are
known, according TO Prof Wilev to whom
the writer is indebted for so much of his
Information. Few of them, however,
possess any economic value After cane
= 4 L.. L
from beets, glucose is next in commercial
importance. Forty million pounds of
maple sugar are made in the United
States annually. The sap. fresh drawn
from the tree, contains from TO per
cent of sugar. OF sugar from the sor-
ghum plant l,000000 pounds were pro-
duced in this country last year, chiefly in
Kansas. Sorghum like sugar cane, is a
kind of grass. BY selection of seed its
percentage of sugar content has been in
creased in five years from - per cent. 20
II per cent
The larors of the various sugars are
due to certain volatile others, Raw beet
sugar has a very disaCreeable smell be.
cause of the presence of others. which are
removed in the processes of refining. On
the other hand, the others peculiar to
maple sugar give TO it in a raw state its
delicious quality All sugars, when
ulRnlN fGuu6Q. nave Ile same IhSbe ana
appearance, The bouuties paid to farm
ers of the United States for raising sugar
have cost the government about 81, SOC. 900
a year. The bounty is 2 cents a pound
for sugar that polarizes at 90 or over on
a scale of 100. The polariss ope tests che
strength of the sugar-that is, the per
centage Of sucrOse or pure sugar which il
contains. Formerly the quality of sugars
was determined by their color, but this
method gave rise to frauds. People i'm
ported white sugar that had been colored
artifcially, so as TO look like brown sugar
bleaching it afterward.
COST OF FOREIGN SUGAR.
We paid sl2O, 600, 600 10 foreigners last
year for sugar which might just as well
have been produced in the United States.
In other words, that amount of money
might as well have gone into the pockets of
American farmers.
The time will doubtless arrive before
many years when the United States win
product all tlN sugar consumed in this
country. A vast era now being drained
in Southern Florida is destined to be one
of the greatest sugargrowing regions in
the world. II is capable of producing
sugar cane than is grown on the island Of
Cuba. But the chief dependence of the
future will be the sugar beet, for the cult
walton Of which unlimited lands of suit
able character are available All the re