2 68 



Not only was sugar beet successfully grown in the Eastern 

 counties of England last year for exportation to Holland, but Dutch 

 manufacturers are entering into contracts for further supplies and 

 are reported to have undertaken to erect a factory in England if 

 they can be guaranteed that at least 6000 acres in the neighbour- 

 hood will be annually put under beet, and that there be no risk 

 of heavy excise duties. 



Such a factory, comprising working capital, would involve an 

 outlay of about 130 ooo (3 282 500 frs.). 



On suitable soil an English crop would average about 18 tons 

 per acre (45 tons per hectare) which at current prices, and deducting 

 cost of production, would leave the cultivator about 7 4 s. per acre 

 (450 frs. per hectare). 



About 9 tons of sugar beet are required for the manufacture 

 of one ton of sugar. The present price of raw sugar f. o. b. Ham- 

 burg is about 14$. per cwt., but this is abnormally high; at an 

 average price of 10 s., and the cost of production at 8 jr., the net 

 profit resulting trom the manufacture of raw sugar should be about 

 2 s. per cwt. which would give the factory on an annual output of 

 5000 tons, about 10 ooo (252 500 frs.) total net profit. And this 

 without taking into account the residual product, consisting of dried 

 slices of beet, known as Protos, which has a high nutritive value as 

 food for cattle. This by-product should add largely to the profits' 

 of such a factory. 



It is interesting to recall the experiments made in 1899 m va ~ 

 rious parts of Wilts, Hants, Somerset and Gloucestershire with sugar 

 beets with the view of testing the weight of crop and percentage 

 of saccharose obtainable in the South and West of England. 



Out of the 2g experiments, the two most successful ones yielded 

 crops of 20 to 30 tons per acre (50 to 75 tons per hectare) and 

 the percentages of saccharose (from 16 to 18 per cent) were deemed 

 by sugar experts to compare favourably with any results being then 

 obtained on the Continent. 



Sugar Beet Production in Great Britain. - - Journal of the 

 Royal Society of Arts. London, vol. 48, July 29, 1910. 



At a meeting of the Sugar Beet Committee, the following reso- 

 lutions were carried: 



i) As it is desirable that all the experiments in sugar beet 

 production should be organised and supervised and the results clas- 



