42 



13EET-SUGAEMAXUFACTUEE IX THE GEEMAX ZOLLYEEEIX. 



H. Kriesmann, United States consul at Berlin, communicates the fol- 

 lo^ing interesting facts in reference to tlie beet-sugar manufacture in 

 the German Zollverein : 



111 view of the attempts that are being made to iutrodnce the plantinp; of the sugar 

 beet, ami the manufacture of beet sugar in oiu" own country, it may not be without 

 interest for the government to be informed what an imjiortant source of revenue they 

 form in the German Zollverein. 



During the year from September 1, 1868, to August 31, 1869, the revenue collected on 

 beet sugar in the states of the Zollverein amounted to the sum of 12,483,:3'2H tlialers, or 

 9.79 groscliens per head of the entire population — a groschen being two and a half cents 

 in gold. This is 2,339,983 thalers, or 23.1 per cent, more than the amount collected in 

 1867-68. This very considerable increase is owing in part to the abundant crop of beets 

 in 1868, both as regards quantity and quality; but in part also to the extension of the 

 Zollverein over the states of Schleswig-IloLsteiu and Mecklenljnrg. The quantity of 

 beets on which taxes were paid in 18G8-'G9 amounted to 41,9.53,6.56 centners. It re(|uirc8 

 on an average about twelve and a half centners of beets to jiroduce one hundred-weight of 

 raw sugar. Taking this rate for a basis there were manufactured during the period in 

 question 3,966,292 centners of beet sugar, Avhile in the ])receding year, 1867-68, only 

 3,247,471 centners were manufactured ; an increase for 1868-'69 of 748,821 centners. 



Of the whole amount of revenue collected from beet sugar in the Zollverein, 11,881,713 

 thalers were raised in the states of the North German Confederation, to wit : In Prus- 

 sia, 10,700,950 thalers, or 85.69 per cent.; in Saxony, 15,783 thalers, or 0.13 ])er cent.; in 

 the Thuringiau Principalities, 49,152 thalers, or 0.39 per cent.; in Brunswick, 1,115,828 

 thalers, or 8.93 jier cent. The amounts raised in the Southern German States were as 

 follows : In Bavaria, 94,937 thalers, or 0.76 per cent.; in Wiirtemberg, 284,494 thalers, 

 or 2.28 per cent.; and in Baden, 227,184 thalers, or 1.82 per cent. 



After deducting 940,965 thalers on drawbacks for the sugar exports from the Zoll- 

 verein, and 354,411 thalers for the expense incurred in insjiecting and supervising the beet- 

 sugar foctories, the net proceeds from the tax on beet sugar amount to 11,192,9.52 tha- 

 lers, or 8.77 groscliens per head of the population. The amount collected was divided 

 among the States belonging to the Zollverein as follows : The North German Confed- 

 eration received as its quota 8,618,872 thalers, or 77 jier cent.; Luxemburg, 58,438 thalers, 

 or 9.52 per ceut.; Bavaria, 1,411,822 thalers, or 12.60 per cent.; Wiirtemberg, 519,747 

 thalers, or 4.64 per cent.; Baden, 418,957 thalers, or 3.75 per cent.; and Hesse-Darmstadt 

 165.116 thalers, or 1.48 jier cent. 



The di-awbacks for the sugar exports, as before stated, amounted for 1868-'69to 940,965 

 thalers, as against 398,279 thalers for 1867-68. The former sum representing 328,244 

 centners, and tlie latter 138,935 centners of raw-beet sugar, which shows an increase in 

 1868-'69 of 189,309 centners, or 1.36 per cent. Of the whole sugar manufacture, 83,668,048 

 centners were consumed within the Zollverein, making 9.58 jiounds of beet sugar con- 

 sumed per head of the entire population. 



"With such results as these, would it not be in the interest of our own people and gov- 

 ernment to stimulate and encourage the iilanting of sugar beet and the manufacture of 

 beet sugar thvoughout the Union ? 



FAEM CAPITAL. 



In an address made at a meeting of the Framlingham Farmers' Club, 

 near the close of 18()9, Mr, Mechi, alluding to the great changes brought 

 about through the facilities aitbrded by science, said that it was too much 

 the custom to dwell on the advance which agriculture has m;ule, rather 

 than the actual defects of its present practice. He thought tha t attention 

 was imperatively demanded toward increasing the food and employ- 

 ment of the people by a profitable and enlarged investment of capital. 

 He considers most farms too large by more than one-half for the work- 

 ing capital employed, but does not object to large farms if the working 

 capital is sufficient, say £20 per acre. 



As an instance of what shoidd be accomplished with ]iroper means, 

 Mr. Mechi cites his own "small" farm of one hundred and seventy 

 acres — all arable land with the exception of fourteen acres of permanent 

 X)asture. He purchased his land in comparatively poor condition, in 

 1841, at a cost of £23 per acre. He invested nearly the same amount 



