CULTURE OF THE SUGAR BEET. 23 



ventor of this new method, profited by the useful labors of his predecessors, and the 

 government, in order to hasten the fortunate results of his discovery, charged him to 

 proceed to propagate it in those sections in which the principal manufactories are 

 established. 



Since the establishment of the high price of sugar, consumption has greatly de- 

 creased, and the seven millions of pounds manufactured at this time may be consid- 

 ered equal to at least one-half our actual needs. This diminution is not the result 

 of any absolute privation that may have occurred, but from the equivalents by which 

 sugar has come to be replaced. 



Several millions of pounds of sirup from grapes, and honey, the latter better puri- 

 fied and more abundant, have been substituted for sugar in a great portion of the do- 

 mestic uses with so much of ease that the most delicate taste could scarcely perceive 

 the change. 



"When the difficulty of procuring sugar and its cost shall be less; when the first 

 profits, at present so great, if they be considered only as interest upon capital, shall 

 have covered the cost of establishing, the quantity that will be consumed will again 

 increase, the equilibrium will be renewed, and supposing that one-fifth the consump- 

 tion to remain definitely replaced by sirup of grapes and honey, France will consume 

 40,000,000 pounds of beet-root sugar, the value of which will be 30,000,000 francs, and 

 we may count upon these results for 1614. Our refineries now yield a product of 

 10,000,000 pounds, which will increase to at least 20,000,000 pounds. 



In the six years beginning with 1502, we received from abroad an annual average of 

 52,000,000 pounds of sugar. During the four years beginning with 1509. the average 

 annual importation has been but 10,000,000 to 11,000,000 pounds. It is especially 

 since that time that nothing has been neglected to naturalize this staple at home, and 

 the conquest is finally assured. 



But while all this interest and busy enterprise was being manifested 

 in France, great progress was also being made in Germany. And the 

 generous and worthy action of Xapoleon in extending substantial en- 

 couragement to the development of the growing industry which pro- 

 duced such happy results had even been anticipated by the German 

 government, which came to the aid of Achard, who had for nearly fifteen 

 years devoted all his time and limited means to the development and 

 establishment of the industry, in the ultimate success of which, in spite 

 of all the reverses to which he had been subject, he had never lost faith. 

 His influence and example had led to the establishment of the works of 

 Baron de Koppy at Krayn, and his watchful care over it had assured its 

 financial success. And this besides those already mentioned was fol- 

 lowed by the establishment of works in other sections, notably by Baron 

 von Lorentz, Counselor Mengen, and more especially the Messrs. Mayer 

 of Breslau, who, we are told by Isnard, director of the special school of 

 chemistry for beet-sugar manufacture at Strasbourg, had for ten years 

 sown about 750 acres in beets. In view of the progress attained and 

 the interest manifested, the governmental authorities accorded to 

 Achard, during the course of 1810 and 1812, the encouragement and 

 aid indicated in the following notice sent by Achard to the Moniteur, 

 and published in that journal, June 23, 1812, showing also the progress 

 this pioneer in the industry had made. He says : 



The public has, during the past year, been informed, as much by the decrees of the 

 regency of Silesia as by the several writings I have published, that his Majesty, the 



