REPORT ON BEET SUGAR IN EUROPE.

SIR: In obedience to your request, I present a few statements showing the progress and condition of the beet-sugar enterprise in Europe, after personal investigation of the operations of each establishment.

The time when sugar first became known in Europe cannot be stated with any certainty, but the statements of various authors, such as Theophrastus, Plinius, Paulus Ægineta, and others, leave no doubt that cane juice, boiled to sirup, was known, and used as a medicine by the most. ancient people. Still earlier, the art of making sugar appears to have been known by the Chinese, Alexander von Humboldt having seen Chinese paintings on porcelain of great age representing various methods of working sugar cane and extracting its juice. Asia undoubtedly is the mother country of sugar, whence it was first brought by the Turks to Cyprus, in the ninth and in the eleventh century; also to Rhodes, Sicily, and Crete, and probably all around the Mediterranean; thence by the crusaders, especially by the Venetians, to the more western countries. Later, perhaps in the fifteenth century, it found its way over Madeira and the Canary Islands to Brazil; and, in the sixteenth century, to the West India Islands. There is no doubt that the cultivation of sugar cane on a large scale was first introduced into America, and especially into the West Indies, by the Europeans.

The first importation of sugar into Europe which is particularly known was in the year 996, into Venice. In the year 1319 the Venetians brought a cargo of 100,000 pounds of sugar and 10,000 pounds of rock candy to London. The first sugar refinery on the continent of Europe was built in Augsburg, in the year 1573, by a man named Roth. Another was built in Dresden, in the year 1597. While in its early days sugar was found only in apothecaries' shops, and used as a medicine, it is counted now among the provisions, and has become a necessity second only to meat and flour.

The first discovery of beet sugar was made the 3d of March, 1747, by the Prussian chemist Margraaf, (Andrea Sigismund,) director of the philosophical section of the Academy of Science at Berlin, who read, at its general meeting, an essay, in which he proved the existence of cane sugar in many home-grown roots, He stated that the most sugar was to be found in the Silesian beet, produced samples, and specified the method by which he had obtained them, and proved it not only practicable, but remunerative, to produce beet sugar on a large scale. It will be borne in mind that this was during a time of war, when the ordinary means of transportation were interrupted and money for importations was scarce, in consequence of which sugar was high; but, as soon as peace was restored, sugar prices went down, and the great interest taken in producing it at home died out.

No sooner, however, had war commenced again, than the subject of beet sugar production was resumed. Shortly after 1790, Achard built on an estate (Cunern) in Silesia, which the King of Prussia had presented to him for the purpose, the first beet-sugar factory. In this factory he worked, supported by the Prussian government and under the observation of a government officer, 7,000 pounds of beets per day, from

which he obtained six per cent. of raw, or five per cent of white sugar. In November, 1799, Van Mons caused a letter to be published in the Annales de Chimie, written by Achard, in which he described the results obtained in his sugar works at Cunern. He states the cost price of raw sugar to be 5.4 cents per pound English, (65 centimes per kilogram,†) besides the beet pulp, beet leaves, and molasses; the former he used for fattening cattle, and the molasses for making alcohol.

These results caused a great sensation in France. All the newspapers republished them. The enormously high price which sugar commanded after France had abolished slavery in her colonies was the reason why the National Institute of France appointed a chemist of great celebrity to examine this new process and report upon it. M. Deyeux made his report in 1800, and, although he considered the advantages to be derived from beet-sugar industry overestimated, two experimental factories were established near Paris-one at St. Rouen, the other in the old abbey of Chelles. Neither of the two reached results which could be compared with those of Achard, and were, therefore, closed again, and for a long time were the laughing-stock of those who knew of them. Meantime, two new factories had been built in Germany, one by the Baron von Koppy, in Silesia, the other by the celebrated Mathusius, in Althaldensleben, near Magdeburg. The publicity given to the results obtained by the three German beet-sugar factories drew anew the attention of the French government to the subject, and new trials were made in 1810 by Deyeux and Derosne, and in 1811 by Barrud and Isnard, with the German method of extracting the sugar from the beet, and the result obtained proved more satisfactory. The war which devastated Germany during 1813, 1814, and 1815 left the country in an exhausted condition, from which it did not recover for many years. Industry in general was paralyzed, and no efforts were made to perfect the system of sugar-making. It was dif ferent, however, in France. The new impulse given to chemistry and engineering showed its effect on the sugar factories, which were considerably improved, one of the principal improvements being the use of animal charcoal. In 1828 one hundred and three factories were making beet sugar in France, producing three thousand three hundred tons of sugar, and during the year 1836–37, fifty-five thousand tons; but, in consequence of a tax being levied on it, the production fell the following year to twentyfive thousand tons.

The beet-sugar production in Germany or in the Zollverein made little progress till 1836, but it has since reached such dimensions that it not only supplies the home demand, and prevents cane sugar from coming into competition, but has become a regular article of export, competing in the English and the Dutch markets with the sugar of the tropics. The table (A) shows the enormous dimensions which the beet-sugar industry has attained during the period between 1836 and 1867. Of the one hundred and twenty-two factories in operation in 1836, ninety belonged to Prussia and thirty-two to the various other states of the Zollverein. During the year 1866-67 two hundred and ninety-six factories were engaged in making beet sugar, two hundred and fifty-seven of which were located in Prussia and its provinces, while only thirty-nine were in the other states of the Zollverein. The increase in the number of factories has been almost exclusively in Prussia, where its number was trebled during thirty-two years. The tax levied on beet sugar in 1840–41, of 0.575 cents per centner of green beets, diminished the whole number

*

Centime, $0.00192.

+ Kilogram, 2.204737 pounds.

‡ Centner, (Prussian,) 113.44 pounds.

of working sugar-factories from one hundred and fifty-two to one hundred and forty-five; in 1842-43 the tax was doubled, when the number was reduced to ninety-eight factories.

The small and poorly-constructed establishments could not compete. with the new and larger ones, nor with the cane-sugar refineries, the proprietors of which strained every nerve to drive beet sugar out of the market, and the former, therefore, had to suspend work. Although, in 1843-44, factories were at work again, the number was reduced to ninetyeight the next year, and to ninety-six in the following year, the tax having been again increased. Since 1846-47 the production has taken a decided start, the number of factories having grown from year to year, and they emancipated themselves from the cane-sugar refineries by producing either molasses or white loaf-sugar direct from the beet juice, without first working it into raw sugar; so that when, in 1850-51, the tax on beet sugar was again doubled, it did not prevent new factories from being built.

While the number of sugar factories increased, the quantity of the beet worked by the same increased in a far greater ratio. It must be taken into consideration that official figures have been kept only since 1840-241, when records were commenced on account of the tax to be levied, and comparisons should be made only of years included in the official figures. Accordingly, the columns 2 and 3, table A, show that during the twentyseven years from 1840-'41 to 1866-67 the number of working factories increased from one hundred and forty-five to two hundred and ninetysix, making an increase of about one hundred and four per cent., while the quantity of beets worked in these factories increased from 4,829,734 cwts. (of one hundred pounds) to 50,712,709 cwts., making an increase of nine hundred and fifty per cent. Of course the quantity of beets worked by each factory must have increased in proportion, as may be seen by column 15, table A, according to which each factory worked, on an average, in 1836-37, 4,155 cwts., or 227 English tons; in 1840-41, 33,309; while in 1866-67 the high average of 171,327 was reached. The variations in columns 3 and 15 of table A are the results of unfavorable beet crops. According to column 8, table A, the internal revenue or tax paid on the beets has increased from a quarter of a cent to seven and a half cents, or thirty-fold, while the actual revenue derived, as given in column 9, has increased from 40,248 thalers* to 12,678,177 thalers, or nearly three hundred and fifteen fold.

These averages are correct according to the best authorities, and go to show the enormous progress made not only in manufacturing beet sugar, but in cultivating and producing beets. It is obvious that the great variation in the average weather of the various years necessarily accounts for the variations of percentage of sugar and foreign matter in the beets, and the more or less difficult working of the same.

The systems of taxation in the different countries influence the general result in many particulars. In Prussia, or the Zollverein, the beets are washed and trimmed, and then weighed by government officials, and the revenue collected according to the quantity which enters the factory. From that moment the sugar manufacturer is at liberty to work at will, the government taking no notice, or at least not interfering, no matter how rich the beets, or how much or what kind of sugar is made; in fact, leaving him entirely free to do with the beets as he may please, except working them into alcohol.

* A thaler is about 73 cents.

In France the government begins its control as soon as the beet juice is extracted, weighing its specific gravity in the clarifying pan, and from that moment keeps a continual supervision of the whole process of sugar making, until the sugar leaves the entrepot or bonded warehouse, and enters into consumption. The annoyances incidental to this system are innumerable and continuous.

In Austria the system of taxation is regulated according to the dif ferent methods of extracting the juic, and the capacity of the machines. employed for the purpose. The quantity of beets which could be worked with each machine for extracting juice is computed for twenty-four hours, and "lumped," which is called "pauschaling." The government keeps no other control than noting the number of hydraulic presses or other machines which work each day, according to their rating, allowing for no stoppages, unless a machine stops at least twenty-six hours. This system of taxation bears unevenly upon different factories, and is the cause of the secrecy observed in some of them as to general results.

In Russia, when new factories are built, they work for a certain time on trial, under the control of government officials, after which a quantity is agreed upon, which the factory works in twenty-four hours, and the amount of revenue which it ought to pay accordingly. Otherwise

the government takes no notice of what is produced in any factory, and no official records are kept.

In Belgium the system is like that of France in nearly every respect, and in Poland it is the same as in Russia.

The influence of these different systems of taxation on the management of sugar works, and even on the culture of the beet, is surprising. In the Zollverein, where eighteen cents must be paid to the government for every centner of beets worked, a great deal of attention is paid to the production of rich beets, by reason of which the quality has been steadily improving. Beets are seldom raised on newly manured land; as a general rule the manure is applied to a grain crop, as barley, wheat, or rye; after these crops are taken off beets are raised without any manure, and after beets such crops, according to the strength of the land, as will pay best. Beets are, therefore, raised in rotation, on an average once in four years. The system of manuring and of producing the manuré has not only been studied as a science, but is practiced as an art. If it can be said of any country that the more beets and beet sugar it produces, the more grain it will yield, it can be said of the Zollverein; and it is much to be regretted that we have not so complete and correct official statistics of the increase of grain as we have of sugar. As the production of sugar has nothing to do with the amount of revenue, there is no objection to giving correct figures, either to the government or to individuals; and the manufacturers are left entirely free to work with any kind of machinery, in any way they please, to change it at will, and to make as many experiments as they like. The part to which sugar manufacturers pay most attention in the course of the work, whether they raise the beets or buy them, is to have the beet as rich in sugar as possible, and to take out all the juice that can possibly be expressed; the revenue tax being the same, whether seventy-five per cent, or ninety per cent. of the juice is extracted, and whether the juice contains ten per cent. or fifteen per cent. of sugar. It cannot be denied, therefore, that the system followed in the Zollverein is the most scientific and the most rational of any, and the official figures obtained in relation to it the most reliable.

In France government supervision commences with the extraction of the juice; the raw beets being under no control, and the quality being