Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-02-27
BEET ROOT SUGAR.

BEET ROOT SUGAR.
The History of the Manufacture a Very
Instructive One.
Inc history OF beet root sugar is a
very instructive one, as it shows what
may sometimes be the outcome of
forced perseverance on the part of the
Government. In 1747 e Prussian
chemist, named Margraff, discovered
the existence of crystalizable sugar in
the beet. Although this discovery was
communicated to the Scientific Society
of Berlin, no attempt was made to OBJ
tain sugar from this humble source.
Forty years after the discovery of Mar
grail, another chemist, named Achord,
resumed the experiments which Mar
graft had commenced, but he received
very little encouragement, although he
was an enthusiast, and declared that
the beet root was a better sugar plant
than cane. The Institute of Paris, in
1900, appointed a committee to inve.ti-
gate Achord's process of extracting
sugar from the beet root, but reported
adversely, and the subject was allowed
ito rest for several years. But in 1909
Bonaparte issued a decree prohibiting
the Importation of sugar from the
West Indies, and the people of France,
thus abruptly deprived of sugar, were
compelled to seek some substitute at
home.
Manufactures of syrups from raisins
and honey were established, but q
crystalized sugar could not be pro-
duced. The Emperor, having caused
much suffering by this decree, sought
means OF obviating the inconvenience,
and to this end appointed a
committee to consider how the wants
of the people could be best supplied.
M. Deveux, a member of the commit
tee, turned his attention to the beet
root, and reported so fayorably TINT an
imperial mandatory of sugar was,
Immediately established at Rambouil-
let, and imperial schools were insti.
tutedfo instructing pupils in the pro
cess. Premiums were also offered for
the best samples of sugar. Sosuccess-
full were the efforts put forth by those
having this matter in charge that in
three years after its inception the man
%ufacture of beet root sugar had become
a prosperous industry. The people of
France were enabled to obtain sugar
of home manufacture, but they had to
pay an enormous price for it, and the
manufacturers began to amass for
tunes.
In 1914 there was again peace in
Europe, the ports of France were
opened to the produce of the West
\ VpIinc orI nhoon c11po ,.c n /, in an3
entirely destroyed the beet root indus
try. In a few months, however, it was
found that the sugars imported from
the iiourishing English colonies were
driving those from the French in the
West Indies out of the market. The
French Government, to protect her
own colonies, or at least pretending
that this was it's object, imposed aduty
of twenty francs the one hundred kilo-
grammes upon all sugars of foreign
origin. Two years later the duty was
increased to forty-tiye francs, and four
years later to seventy-fiye, and in 1929
to n%inety-five, which was equivalent to
an absolute prohibition. But six
years before, or in in 1916, the Govern
ment began to pay a bounty to the beet
root sugar manufacturers, which slim
ulated them to great activity. They
made, of course, enormous profits, for
the people We're compelled to use the
homemade sugars or go without, as
there were no other kinds to be OBJ
tanned, Seven yeats later, or in 1929,
there were in France, over one hundred
manufactures where beet root sugar
was made, and they have been increas-
ing eve since.
In Germany, Russia, Belgium, Hol-
land, and several other European coun-
tries, beet sugar is now produced in
large quantities, but it may be added
that wherever the people have been
compelled to pay a heavy tax on this
article they have been invariably small
consumers. While France may boast
Of being the first European nation to
make its own sugar at home, her peo-
pie have never been very e%Ntravagant
in its use; for while the people of Great
Britain consume about sixty-two
pounds per head annually, those OF
France only use about fifteen pounds.
The difference is probably in great part
due to the fact that the English people
have long been fully supplied with
cheap sugars from their w colonies,
and this has encouraged the habit OF
using this article constantly and freely.
The people of the United States con
sumo about forty pounds of sugar per
head, and this amount will doubtless
increase, if sugar remains cheap and
the country prosperous; otherwise
there will be a decrease in the amount
consumed.-N. Y. Sun.
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A Migratory Sandhii'.