Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-18

can be undoubtedly increased in these coun-
tries. Just how greatly no one has yet ven
tured to say.
But it is to beet sugar and other plant sugar
that the world turns when the question of
future supply is brought up. As mentioned
previously, sugar beets can be grown in tenn
perate zones. This makes it possible, with
increased efficiency in sugar-beet cultivation
and improved methods of extracting the sweet
from the beet, to insure the world with an
adequate, almost unlimited, supply Of sugar
And this is not ALL Science Is today busy in
the laboratory extracting sugar from almost
everything it can get its hands ON. Com
mercially, some of the costs Of these extrac-
tons are prohibitive, but win they be pro-
hibtive for long? That depends entirely
upon whether production from present-day
sources keeps up with the demand. If the
price of sugar rises to the point where manu-
facture Of it from artichOkeS and other plants
becomes profitable, 1t will be extracted from
these plants for commercial purposes.
Scisnce today has a sugar that is sweeter
than ordinary sugar. 1t is levulose, and the
effectiveness of its sweet depends largely upon
its use. For instance, it is but little Sweeter
than sugar when used with fruits. But there
are uses to which it can be put which give
it an effectiveness fully IS per cent greater
than sugar.
Levu.ose is a constituent of honey. It is
found also in the dahlia, in chicory ana arti-
chokes. In these plants 1t is found in the
form of starch and to be made available must
be treated with an acid. At the Bureau of
Standards in Washington, the great. Govern
ment experimental laboratory, there has been
set up miniature commercial plant for the
purpose of determining whether levuloSe can
be produced commercially; that is, profltably.
Experiments in this line will be concluded in
a few months.
If levulose can be produced at a profit we
may expect to see science Offering it to the
world as 1.-THE new sugar for its coffee" At
present experiments at the bureau are con-
fined mostly to artichokeS This plant offers
more possibilities than any other at present
For artichokeS can be grown throughout the
world and are not confined to restricted areas
such as the cane plant is confined to.
A T the same time, Government experts from
the Department of Agriculture are scour-
ing the Old World seeking improved varieties
Of the cane plant. A few years ago very
damaging disease struck the sugar-cane belt
of the United States. 1t was the mosaic
disease and it virtually wiped out sugar pro-
duction in the Southern States. To combat
it DR.. E. w. Brandes senior plant pathologiSt
of the Bureau of Plant Industry, took 10000
mile trip through New Guinea, the home of
the sugar plant, In search OF new varieties
disease-resistant varieties for cultivation in the
United States. DR.. Brandes was gone the
whole Summer of 1928, travelling by plane
over hitherto unexplored territory In New
Guinea He came back to the States with 167
new varieties for sample development in
America. These plants he brought with him
to Washington and placed them in his de
tention house"-Government experiment sta
ton at Arlington-to remain a year before
sending them South to be used for planting
and interbreeding. The plants. went into
"do,c::t-o:.' II CIDER that they might be