Wilmington daily commercial., 1876-05-10
FIRST EDITION.
Rect Sugar-NO. 2.
THE HISTORY OF ITS PRODUCTION IN FRANCE
IMMENSE DEVELOPMENT OF TIE CROP.

IMMENSE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CROP.
20 tie Editor ofthe Comm erciGt:
In 1747 Margratf,a Prussian Chemist, dis
covered that sugar was contained in beets,
and advised his countrymen. to cultivate
them for the purpose Of making sugar, but
no attempt was made to utilize the discov-
cry until in 1773, a leading chemist under
the patronage of Frederick the great tried
various experiments for the manufacture
of sugar from the beet. The death Of Fred
ericlI stopped these experiments, and 1t was
thus left, until, in 1875, sixty to seventy
acres were planted. In 1893 it was first
successfully manufactured in quantity, and
several loaVes were presented to the King
of Prussia, under whose patronage it was
produced. This was done by Achard,
| Prussian chemist, So years from the orlgi-
nal discovery, and 26 years after his tirst
attempts. A report of this result was pub
lshed, and attracted great deal of aGten-
| tion, especial v in France, whore commit
tee of her most distinguished chemists was
appointed by the Institute, to investigate
the merits of Achard's discovery. Their re-
port stated that the amount of sugar ex
tracted was rather less than one per cent
and the enterprise was abandoned until Ma
poleon l again called attention to the sub
ject, ,and appointed new committee to con-
duct further experiments Deyeux, MEM
ber Of that committee, in 1910, presented
two loaves, equal in every respect to that
produced from the cane. The percentage
of sugar obtained was but one and half
to Two. In 1912, the blockade favored the
establishing of this industry, and the Gov
eminent took an active part in its inaugura-
ton; it may be considered as the period at
which it was put on foundation that Sc
cured its ultimate permanent establishment.
| ofnfo in
by order of the government, and 100000
francs were used to stimulate the enter
prise. 500 licenses were granted to
manufacturers, but it was destined
to be again checked in its de-
velopement. The fall of Napoleon, in
1914, caused the failure of all the beet su.
gar manufactures except one, and it was
not until the imposition of high duties on
foreign sugar, in 1920 and 1922, that they
recovered.
r From that time they slowly increased,
and the same policy produced the same
: effect in other European countries, but
, England, adhering to a different one, is
t without this industry, and now as result
of the continued protection of it, by her Eu-
; ropean neighbors, the home competition an6
great improvements have reduced the
price, so that the refined beet sugar ls sold
= in the English market at a less price thar
her refiners can import and refine the can(
~ ~ sugar. In 1925, Fl ance produced total o
. 5000 tons Of beet sugar in over one hundred
= factories. The ultimate relation between
, this branch of industry and agriculture de
= veloped itself, and there were no longer un
! improved lands in the vicinity of a suga
= manufactory. In the department of th'
North where it was not firmly established
> the number of acres of grams increased
enormously, the beet pulp furnishing far
; mers with the means of feeding al
: increased number of cattle, thus providing
the means offertilizing an increased amour
of land. In 1887 tax was put on of abou
! one and quarter cents per Id. This caused
y the failure of one hundred and sixty-six es
. tablishmeuts, and the production which ha(
risen to 10000 TONS fell to $4,000, in 1889, anC
: 22 900 in 1910. The history of the bee
, sugar industry from the year 1887, is but {
record of a struggle with the cane suga
manufacture of the French colonies, who
B sought to crush its youthful competitor
From 1840 the production of the bee
SUE ar in France was doubled every tel
years, and the cane sugar import declined
until at the present time, it amounts Il
IT much less than the export or refined bee
sugar Meanwhile the consumption wa
rapidly increasing. Iu 1880 it WAS but tw,
1t lbs. per head, in 1865 was over fourteen
3 lbs. per head.
i Since 1865, except in the immediate vicin
d ity of the seaboard cities of France, n
sugar is used but the beet. The same i
I true OF Germany. Not an ounce Of an
8 other is used in Paris, Vienna, Berlin
II Dresden Leipsc, or Munich.
In 1897 the yield of beets per acre was
N tons, price So 90 in 1865, the yield was
d tons, price 1926 The per centage of su
: gar contained in the beets produced in 1888
@ was 10, in 1865 it was 1115. The amour
extracted i'll 1887 was and one-fifth pc
in u af,t
it cost of the sugar per lb. in 1887 was 81
| cents, in 1865 it was 4 cents per lb. Tn
"a total product of France in 1887 was 49, 90
70 tons, in 1865 it was 100000 tons. FroI
1860 to 1865 the protective duties were n
ID moved, without detriment to this industry
and the cane sugar from the French Co
onies had an advantage of half cent DE
lb. Thus it required nearly century {
IN establish this great and important industi
lg on the Continent of Europe on such bas
as to defy competition. 1t has been th
IL result of careful and continued attention I
ry increase the per centage of sugar in I'll
beet, by studying the laws of its nature
Id and then by the skillful application {
ar chemical knowledge, and mechanical il
wv genuity, to extract it therefrom, purife
and ready for the most fastidious tast
Id I'm addition to constantly diminishin
er price, with steadily decreasing pr tectiol
or wages have doubled, and 1t has been by il
"a. creased skill alone chat it owes it's presel
d. existence. This historical sketch viii
m mainly of France, applies also to the re-
of the Continent. France only led in IL
al race.
y Such is a brief history of the origin al
r. growth Of this industry up to 1865. Sint
L then its continued increase is shown
a. a. the following statistics, recently publis
or ed:
Product beet sugar, 1853 200, 900 to-
8. ...1863- 452,000 "
4" 1" .1s73-1, $4,000 "
[f- 1t now bears its full quota Of taxatio
tie the excise officers watch the sugaries vii
the same rigid surveillance they do the di
OF tilleries in this country.
, It may be now considered as one Of Il
An established industries of the Tempera
oil Zones, and merely awaits the judicious O
ganizstion OF capital and labor to estsblii
nix it on any suitable soil, and locality. Fint
xt. ing it would make this article too long
en- do justice to the facts relating to its intr
duction into some Of the departments
,ss France, and other parts of the continent,
lie will be deferred for the next.
in L. P.