The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-05-01
Beet Sugar.

Now that the subject of beet sugar is
engrossing the attention of so many farm
ers, everything from which Information
can be gained on this point, is of interest.
We extract the following from lecture
delivered before the Oakland, CAL, Farm
ers' Club, by Prof. Partz:
In the year 1747, Margraf, Berlin
apothecary discovered in plant growing
wild on the shores of the Mediterranean,
certain amount of sugar identical with
cane sugar. He communicated the fact to
the Berlin Academy and recommended
the cultivation of the plant for the extrac-
ton of sugar from it; but at that period
chemistry was Just struggling forth out
of alchemy and the time for the realization
of such plan had not yet dawned. Since
then from that wild plant has been devel-
oped the present sugar beet, and out of
that little discovery by Margraf, has
grown one of the greatest industries of
the present day, an industry which has
spread all over Central Europe and is evil
IDENTIFY destined also to spread over large
portion of this continent.
In 1873 Achard, another Prussian, re-
vived Margraf's project. He carried on a
series of experiments in raising beets and
making sugar on his farm at Caulsdorf
near Berlin, and aided by the government,
he founded in 1896 upon the domain of
Cunern in Silesia the first beet sugar fac
tory. In 1899 he presented several loaves
of beet sugar to the king of Prussia !;
however, the enterprise not being remu-
nerative and giving too little promise of
becoming so, was abandoned.
After Achard had published in 1897 his
first report of making sugar from beets,
the English government, frightened at
the prospect of competition with the
cane-sugar of the West India colonies,
offered him large sum of money to ac-
! knowledge publicly that he had been mis-
| taken in the results of his trials but he
| Indignantly refused the offer. The state
ments of the amount of sugar obtained by
Achard vary between one and three per
cent.
The beet sugar project assumed differ
ent aspect when, by NapoleOn's decree of
the 21st of November, 1908, the harbors of
the European continent were closed
against the products of British colonies,
while England in return, prevented the
products of other colonies from entering
continental harbors. The price Of sugar
rose in Germany to over one thaler per
pound, and there, as well as in France,
| beet sugar factories sprung up and did a
| lucrative business, although the yield Of
sugar scarcely reached three per cent. l
is now in France from seven to eight, il
Germany and Russia from eight to min,
per cent. A sugary working 500 tons Q
bseets in q campaign was then though
ments working over 10000 tons. esrsh 2ieh
attention was paid to the agricultural
part of the business, especially to tn,
raising of the right kind of beets, since
experience had taught that beets wer
wanted which were rich in sugar and poo
in salts.
Although the sugar beet will grow il
almost any soil, deep, sandy loan i
best suited to its nature. In fact, goot
grain land is also good beet land. In
country where the summers are hot an
dry, stronger and more retentive soil
required than where they are cooler ant
more humid. Soil charged with minera
salts must be avoided for they are eager
ly absorbed by the beets and are hin
drance to the extraction of the sugar
1t is fit for cultivation nearly all over tn
United States, so far as the soil permits.