Sugar industry, 19th century. Illustration of sugar plants arriving at a factory in Mauritius for processing. Crops such as sugar beet and sugar cane are cultivated for their high sugar content. The sugar-containing parts of the plant are chopped and boiled in water to extract a sugary juice that is then processed further to produce sugar. Selective breeding in the 18th century increased the sugar content enough of such plants to justify industrial processing. Illustration published in 1863, in the weekly French travel journal 'Le Tour du Monde'.