34 CHARLES ANTHONY GOESSMANN 



seeds of the thirteen best varieties of sugar-beets culti- 

 vated in Saxony and Prussia, and showed by trial 

 those best adapted to our soil and climate for the pro- 

 duction of sugar and syrup from the root. These ex- 

 periments were carried out between 1870 and 1874, 

 and appear to have been the first scientific experiments 

 in sugar-beet culture in this country. 



The reports 1 constitute an important contribution 

 to agricultural literature. At the time they attracted 

 wide attention, both in this country and Canada, lead- 

 ing to similar experiments under his direction in New 

 York and the Dominion, the latter at the request of 

 the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and 

 Public Works, with reference to the cultivation of the 

 sugar-beet throughout the Province of Quebec. He 

 demonstrated conclusively that the beet-sugar indus- 

 try, which has added so largely to the wealth of France 

 and Germany, can be profitably pursued in the north- 

 ern states of North America and Canada; and that it is 

 possible to grow beets of high sugar content in Massa- 

 chusetts upon well-drained mellow loams (a rich, first- 

 class barley soil) when proper attention is given to 

 fertilization and cultivation. 



In 1870 the American Chemist was launched by 

 Charles F. and William H. Chandler, with the assist- 

 ance of several leading chemists, among whom were 

 Alsberg, Barker, Bolton, Egleston, Joy, and Goess- 

 mann. During the few years of its existence Goessmann 

 was a regular contributor to its pages. 



1 'The report,' says a writer in the Scientific American, 'is one of the 

 most valuable contributions to agricultural science that has been made in 

 our country, and reflects great credit upon its author.' 



