14 SORGHUM. 



amounted to 100,000,000 francs (§20,000,000), so that the amount 

 appropriated for the encouragement of efforts to j^roduce these two com- 

 modities amounted to one per cent of the amount paid for them to for- 

 eio-n countries. In 1882, the United States imported over one hundred 

 million dollars worth of sugar and molasses, and the duties paid upon 

 the same amounted to more than fifty million dollars additional ; and 

 the amount appropriated by Congress for the purpose of investigations 

 on sorghum was ten thousand dollars. 



It is also interesting to observe, that the six experimental schools es- 

 tablished were "to give instruction in the manufacture of beet root 

 sugar, conformably to the processes of chemists." This tells the whole story : 

 it fully explains hoAv, from such small and unpromising beginnings — 

 from a root inferior, in every way, to the tropical cane — from the pro- 

 duction of sugar costing eighty cents per pound— this industry has 

 developed to that degree, that the beet root is to-day, and for many 

 years has been, the only rival of the sugar-cane in producing the world's 

 supply of sugar. The acorn has become the oak. The predictions of 

 Maro-raff, in 1747, are to-day accomplished facts. Europe has found, 

 in the beet root, the basis of an immense industry. The reason for this, 

 is found in that decree of Napoleon — than whom, whether in peace or in 

 war, Europe has never had his superior in the field — the decree of Na- 

 poleon, that the manufacture of beet sugar should be taught in the 

 schools "conformably to the pn-ocesses of chemists." 



The beet sugar industry is one of the proudest triumphs of science. 

 About its cradle, all the sciences have stood as foster parents ; and im- 

 proved methods, improved machinery, improved cultivation, improved 

 varieties, have marked each step of its progress. But for the careful 

 supervision of science, its present proportions were impossible : and so 

 soon as that supervision shall be withdrawn, or shall be given in equal 

 measure to the production of sugar from sugar-cane or sorghum tlie 

 beet sugar industry must inevitably perish ; but its history has shown 

 the value of science to the arts, and has done much to silence the sneers 

 of the ignorant at laboratory work. As evidence of the rapid devel- 

 opment of this new industry, we may recall tliat there was produced 

 in France, from beets, in 1826, only 1,500 tons of sugar, and in 1875, 

 462,259 tons ; and, at the present, 38 per cent of the world's supply of 

 sugar is obtained from beets, and 62 per cent from the sugar-cane. 



NECESSITY FOR FURTHER RESEARCH. 



To those engaged iu the development of the sorghum sugar industry, 

 it is hardly necessary to say, that, great as are the strides which have 

 been made during the past few years in our knowledge of sorghum as 



