Sugar
a sweet, crystallized stance manufactured from the expressed juice of various plants, especially from the sugar cane; also, any substance, more SUGAR BEET derived from the Silesian white beet, which was, in turn, a descendant of the sea beet, a common perennial on muddy seashores. In shape, a good sugar beet is long, conical and regular. In weight, after the leaves have been removed, it varies from one to two pounds, and its color may be white, pale pink or grayish.
The amount of sugar which it contained was originally only about 10 per cent. of its weight, but this has now been raised, by cultivation, from 16 to 18 per cent. The percentage varies in different zones of the root, being smallest at the root and greatest at the thick part just under the crown. Before extracting the roots are washed free from mud, cut into fine, long shreds, and then extracted with hot water. The juice thus obtained is clarified, concentrated and allowed to crystallize. The exhausted molasses obtained as a byproduct is frequently mixed with the extracted beet pulp and sold as cattlefood.