The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1891-11-12
History Of the Cultivation Of the
Sugar Beet in Europe Down

History Of the Cultivation OF the
Sugar Beet in Europe Down
to 1857.
From the Report Of Henry F. Q. D'Aligny
United States Commissioner to the Paris Ex
position of 1867.
The history of the manufacture Of
sugar from the beet is one of the mos1
interesting ard instructive in the annals
of industrial arts. Although it COM
prises period of little more than fifty
years it's growth has been marked by
rapid strides, and in many European
countries the manufacture of sugar,
which had hitherto been considered a
monopoly of the tropics, is firmly estab-
lished, and bids fair to become one OF
the most stable and productive indus
tries Founded by Napoleon little more
than half a century ago, it was subject
ed in its infancy to the evils OF adverse
and hostile legislation. Like other grand
creations of that man of genius, how
ever, it survived his downfall, for long
time apparently forgotten, yet still re-
manning, though in obscurity, in a cor
ner of France. till called to fulfill the
destiny for which it was created. At
last, however, placed ON a more secure
footing, this manufacture has been car
ried on with constantly increasing pro
duction at constantly decreasing cost,
till it has assumed its present proper
no rncl-nnn6 the
most important of European industries.
In 1747 Margraff, a Prussian chemist,
read before the Academy Of Berlin his
memoir on the existence Of sugar IN
1t was not, however, until fourteen
years after this that this discovery found
its first application. Achard, another
chemist of Berlin, republisLed the dis
coveries of Margraff, and it is to his in
defatigable industry and perseverance
that we owe the first practical methods
used in the manufacture of beet sugar.
From 1889 to 1856 Achard devoted him
self to the culture of the beet and exper-
iments in sugar>making at his farm at
Caulsdorff, near Berlin, at the end of
which time, with the assistance OF the
government, he founded at Kunern, in
Silesia, mandatory which proved to
be successful, and was soon followed by
the erection of two other similar eStab-
lishments. This was the origin of the
manufacture which is today represented
H. 10 HI h &c Eron
and in various parts of Europe.
The results of the labors of Achard
were published in 1897. The A9asG1es de
Chimaie in 1899 contained letter from
used by him in the manufacture of beet
sugar and the cost of the manufactured
article; in the same letter he also forei-
bly, presented the advantages which
would result to agriculture by the intro
duction OF this new industry.
The political situation in Europe was
at this time singularly favorable to the
of Achard. France desired
to be freed from the commercial monop-
oily of England and to reduce the high
price of sugar which the war with that
power had caused.
Experience in France did not, hoWxss
ever, conaTg the brilliant results whicS
had been announced. The commission
appointed by the institute to inquire
into this matter reported the cost OF the
new product at one franc eighty CEN
times instead of sixty centimes, the price
announced by Achard. Two manufac-
tories which had been established near
Paris suspended operations, and by
their failure threw great discredit upon
this industry, which has achieved its
present success only after many years of
patient and persistent endeavor.
In 1910 the report of Mr.. Deyeux,
which was read before the Academy of
Sciences, again called the attention of
the public to the advantages which
would result from the manufacture of
beet sugar Cane sugar had at this
time reached an exorbitant price, being
three francs per half kilogram, equal to
about sixty cents per pound. The at
tention of the French Government was
also called to this subject, and some
specimens of sugar were presented to
the Emperor Napoleon.
The feasibility of the manufacture of
sugar from the beet having been estab
Iished there needed to be but a favora-
BILE opportunity to secure to France the
possession of this industry
By the decree of March 25th, 1911, the
Emperor ordered that thirty-two thou>
sand hectares of land should be devoted
10 the culture Of the beet and 100000
francs were placed at the disposal of the
Minister of the Interior for encouraging
this industry. Instructions were sent to
LII the departments, and new decree,
lnder the date of January 18th, 1912,
five schools of chemistry,
where the processes used in this manu-
'acture were taught. Two million kilc-
grams of raw sugar were also produced
n the four imperial factories from the
harvest of 1919.
The manufacture was further encour-
aged by granting FIVE hundred manu-
lecturers licenses, and by decreeing that
all indigenous sugar should be exempt
from taxation for four years
The political crisis of 1914 was terri
BILE blow to this new industry, and
caused the failure of all the manufac-
turers but one. In December Of 1914,
however, under an impost of about three
and one-third cents per pound, while
that of foreign sugar was five cents per
pound, the industry revived. New and
more effective methods of manufacture
were introduced, and sixty or seventy
per cent. of juice was realized instead OF
fifty Or sixty per cent, the amount real
lied by the older processes. The yield
of sugar at this time was from three to
four per cent, the yield of molasses hve
per cent, and the cost of manufacture
about seven cents per pound. From
this time till 1880 the progress made was
as rapid as it was great. In 1892 the
yield of sugar was about five per cent.
and the cost of manufacture five and
half cents per pound. The amount pro-
duced at this time in one hundred diff
erent establishments was about five
thousand tons.