VI. AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES 



Agriculture lias given birth to a large number of bran- 

 ches of industry employing either the products of Belgian 

 soil alone or those of the country together with others of 

 foreign extraction. 



The principal industries amongst these are : brewing, 

 malting, the extraction and refining of beet sugar, starch 

 making, dairy farming, the production of oils, the manu- 

 facture of vegetable preserves, of ij-uit sirups, of chemical 

 manures, etc. 



One of the principal industries is the making of machines 

 and implements for cultivating the soil. 



SUGAR PRODUCTION 



The area in Belgium devoted to the cultivation of sugar 

 beets was : 



63,5i5 hectares in 1900; 

 61,528 1901; 



47,592 1902. 



That is to say about 5 1/2 p. c. of the whole extent of 

 cultivated land in Belgium. >The average production 

 of one hectare is 35, ooo kilogrammes of beets containing 

 1 5 p. c. of sugar. 



The number of beet sugar factories was : 



1-21 in 1900, producing 3o3, 118,589 kil. of raw sugar; 

 121 1901, 303,959,868 )) 



n3 )> 1902, 180,4^4,799 



The refineries are twenty five in number and produced : 



In 1900, 70,883,000 kilogrammes of sugar. 

 )> 1901, 82,789,000 



