134 



Having recently Icivned that atteutioii was beiug ilireeted to tins iiniiortaiit indus- 

 try in ceitiiiri of tbe NortLi western States, Avhero the -winter cliniiito is fcinulin' to that 

 of Sweden, I thc)u;j.ht, inasnnieh as the business sueceers here, it would be useful to 

 collect and transmit to the De;)artment the latest information on tl;e subject whielj 

 Swedish uianufLictnrers could I'nruish. Aecoidingly I addressed some inquiries to Mr. 

 J. Franchell, one of th(^ ])rincipal proprietors of "the oldest beet-sugar factory m Swe- 

 den — that at Landskjona — who is thoroughly acquainted with the business, and 

 received froni him, under date of the Gth instant, a very full reply, from which I beg 

 to make the following extract : 



" The land which we occupy ourselves varies very much in eharacter, say from light, 

 sandy loam to lather stifl' clay ; both extremes not very jiropitious to the cultivation 

 of the beet-root, but the greater part consists of rich loam, very suitable to the pur- 

 pose. The whole of the laud, about 1,8G0 tunn, (say 2,000 acres.) has been di-aiued 

 with pipes, 4 to 4.V feet deep, and cultivated to the depth of Ki to 18 inches. 



" Through the liberal application of stable manure to the cereal crops, and artificial 

 manure, chiefly super-phosphates and potash, the Ir'^^ter derived from burning the resi- 

 due of the beet-root molasses used in the spirit distillery, to the I'oot and leguminous 

 crops, the land is now brought to a high degree of fertility. In laud brought into this 

 state there will, of course, always be a good deal of soluble saline matters, but our land 

 does not contain such matters in excess, or in a degree to act injuriously to the quality 

 of the beet. 



'' On our priucipal farm we use a five years' rotation, say, 1, wheat and rye ; 2, beet 

 root ; 3, barley and oats ; 4, clover (seed is sown with the barley) and mixed grain; 

 5, clover and green crops; consequently the beet -root ordy returns every tilth year. 

 Having, however, some reason to suspect that the cultivation of beet-root and clover 

 in so short a rotation is not favorable to the former, we have adopted, .as a trial, on a 

 small farm, a four-courso rotation, say, 1, wheat and rye ; 2, beet-root ; I?, barley and 

 oats: 4, green crops, clover being entirely excluded. Fifteen to seventeen tons per 

 tuunlaud (1.22 aeies) may be considered an average crop. 



We pay 80 ore per centner, or about 21<;. 4d. per English ton delivered at the works at 

 the time tJie harvest is made ; but growers who keep the beets until wanted at the 

 works are paid .a. fev.- (ire more, according to i he time of delivering. At PO ore, the 

 gross income, calculated on the above-mentioned weights, wHl bo 2*^^ to 326 rix dol- 

 lar's per tunuland, and the cost of cultivation may bo reckoned, in round numbers, at 

 100 rix dollars per tunnland. [At this rate the ])roht of growing beets would be from 

 §45 to .fC)5 per acre in gold.] AVe have hitherto exjierieneed no particular difficulty in 

 protecting the beets from frost. They are not ijut in pits, but on lint land, in small 

 roof-like heaps, containing iive or six wagon loads, and iirotected at first with only a 

 thin covering of earth to prevent overheating, which is very injurious to the saccharine 

 iuatt.or, but later in the senson with a thicker covering up to, in all, 24 inches, accord- 

 ing to the length of time the heaps are expected to remain in the field. [To the ques- 

 tion, ' How many months of the year is the fnctory occupied in making beet sugar f ] 

 Generally from the commenceraent of October to the beginning or end of February. 

 The remaining pnrt of the year is occupied in refining beet-root and colonial sugar. 

 During the autunm and winter months the l)eet roots give the best results, and they 

 deteriorate rapidly in Fcbruarj' and March. 



"As we not only manufacture beet-root sugar, bujt also largely refine Ijoct-root and 

 colonial sugar, it is rather difficult to state exactly the an)ount of profit on the beet- 

 root manufacture ; but this manufacture, being at present exempt from all dutj', the 

 import duty on colonial sugar being I'id., English, pc^r cwt., it mu.st l)e exceedingly prof- 

 itable if carried on where the ( ircumstances are naturally favorable. The refuse is a 

 most excellent food, and we use it l.'irgely both for fattening cattle, milch cows, and 

 sheep. It is mixed with cut straw and put in a, heap for about twenty-four hours, to 

 acquire some he.at, and it is then oaten with avidity. 



"The success of the beet-root bnsiuess must, in the long run, entirely depend on the 

 quality of tho beets, and also on cymatie intluences. Exceptional circumstances, such 

 as, for instance, exemptions from duty, may, of course, enable this business to be car- 

 ried on tolerably well, even v.'ith inferior beets, and under an unfavorable climate, but 

 it may be sul)ject to doulit whether such business can be considered legitimate, and be 

 able to hold out in competition with the foreign manufacture when the duties shall be 

 measurably equalized. Eleven or twelve per cent, may be considered tho average ot 

 sugar in the beet juice in this part of the country. This ye.ar the beets are rather 

 above tho average quality, but of course they vary a good deal, according to tlie modi' 

 of culture and state of the weatlier during the period of growth. 



"The seed is always sown by us on the field direct, and I do not believe that at present 

 transplauting is anywhere resorted to. In sowing by hand, which is a good deal prac- 

 ticed both here and inGermany, thefieldisrolled very evenly, the earth being in a high 

 state of pulverization, and thea tho rows, lengthwise and across, marked out with a 

 marker like a colossal hand-rake. By means of a small hoe, with a handle about 

 12 iuchcs long, a liole al)out. one inch in depth is made in encli cross, four or five 



