, 1876-05-03
BEET AND CANE AGAIN.

0NSANGB 80
this eternal question, makes the following
sensible remarks
1t will naturally be asked. what, then, Is
the secret Of the success of the bset-sugAr
manufacturer But before the attempts Is made
to work out this problem. the objections OF
at least Two representative planters require
to be met. The one affects to believe that
under protection the utmost limit OF beet sugar
production has been already reached. It ts,
however, very doubtful whether those OF
this opinion have had the resolution to look
the facts fairly in the face. In l747, as we
read in almost every book referring to SUI
gar, the Berlin apothscary MArggraf annOun-
oed the fact that the beet-root contained cane
sugar, and the greatest quantity be was able
TO extract e~xperimentally was So per cent.
The most recent analyses Of the root show,
on an average, 1875 per cent. for FreAoh,
1873 for G erman, and 1873 for American bests /;
while In many instances beets have been
grown containing 10 per cent OF sugar ~
Nor Is this all. N. Chaptsl, the Minister
Of the Interior at the time when the memorA'
BILE milliOn-francs' prize was offered, and enS
first to record the weight of roots grown on .
given area, states the average to oe ~ tons
per heotare ~ acres) Recently NJ. DHrgent,
Department de la Seine, obtained 38 tons OF
superior roots from an acre; while Vtilemorin
and Knauer (names we'll known In France
and Germany respectively both assert that
such a yield can be easily worked up to and
maintained. ~ Who will contend, In view OF
these facts, that We are to stop here The
OF %inions of all who may be regarded as au-
thorities on he subject point 10 & further de-
velopment of the beet-rOOt both in quality
as regards sugar and In total weight per
oora FL NbO "a 49, 4ho} kbA prnaAAk viptd
Of the sugar cane may not be far exceeded by
the beet root, and that before many years
have elapsed But what, it may be asked,
has been the increase in the percentage Of
sugar in the camel The first record we have
informs US of the existence of about is per
cent " of sugar. The most recent and highest
scientific authority on the subject, upon which
every reliance may be placed, states the average
amount of sugar in the sugar-cane, as grown 10
various parts Of the world, to be 16.2 per cent
the utmost that has been authenticated 2O.6s
per cent, and that only In exceptional casee
The average weight Of canes cut per acre Ap'
pears, as far as the writer Is able to discover
to have actually decreased although 1t Ia very
difficult to obtain definite on tnIa
pOilt, upon which to base q corresponding
general estimate. The beet-roOt sugaF-manu'
f|aoturers now succeed In extracting an average
of over 1919 per cent of the sugar contained
in their beets, the early attempts on a manu-
featuring scale In the last century not yielding
80 per cent of the extraotible sugar. Dane
planters, In the palmy days Of the last genera
ton, were content when anything over 80 PEI
cent Of the sugar they had grown reached tn
market. AS q whole, they may 400 be said
manufacture &c per cent of their Suorose Int
muddy muscovado, small bilious looking Crya
tails and molasses, Does some planter wn
made pretty sugar" last crop, indignant
protest. He has not. then, seen the bulk
the &" bloOmy," straw-colored sugars opened 0
their ultimately finding their way up to q
English or Scotch ~refnsr's top storey.
1t will be admitted that these comparisons
to put the matter mildly, are not very favorable
to sugar-planters generally. But it may b
objected, by a representative of a large elias
of planters, that sugar made with such exper
sive accessories as vacuum-pan and centrlfugs
does not pay-larger capital, interest on dlttc
wear and tear. etc. and 30 On. The writer be
heard, more than Onse, an intelligent plante
epitOmise his opinions With more emphasis thal
elegance Give me weight,-the quality !
It is sufficient to reply that according to one o
the chief principles of trade the days 9
"common process" musc9vado are numbered
And it is easy to point out the ohanneli in which
the principle will, 10 this case, work. Suct
sugars are Invariably purchased by the rehne'
at less than their real value. The buyeI
would value a sample Of concrete or sucrate-of
lime, for instance, by the contained amount o
orystallizable sugar. But in "fair to goo
refining he simply i" feels for glucose" hi
6ste n0ire ia cane raws," and takes care {