EXPENSE OP A BEET SUGAR MANUFACTORY. 351 



an immense number of cows and sheep may be fed for 

 eight or ten days upon the leaves and necks that are cut 

 off and thrown upon the ground. 



SECTION VL 

 On the Expense of a Beet Sugar Manufactory- 

 It is not enough to estimate the products of a sugar 

 manufactory, in order to know whether the business can be 

 carried on to advantage ; a valuation of the expenses must 

 likewise be made : in this, as in the foregoing part of my 

 statement, I shall give only the results of my own experience. 

 The expense of the necessary accommodations and uten- 

 sils required for operating daily upon 10,000 lbs. of beet 

 roots cannot be defrayed witb less than 20,000 francs. 



If a permanent stream of water and a wine-press can be 

 made use of, the expense may be reduced to 16,000 francs.* 

 1. The principal article in the expenses of a manufactory 

 of this kind is the cultivation of the beets. Estimating 

 the price of 1,000 lbs. at ten francs, is placing it at a rate 

 by which the manufacturer will escape injury. f 



* I do not include buildings, since such as are necessary for thi« 

 manufacture are to be found almost every where. 



t If the proprietor of a manufactory should cultivate the beets him- 

 self, sowing his fields with corn immediately after digging the roots, 

 the expense of the preparatory ploughings performed in the winter 

 and spring, and that of the manure and transportation, would be borne 

 entirely by the crops of corn, and there would remain to the charge 

 of the Deets, which form an intermediate harvest, only the cost of sow- 

 ing, weeding, digging, and transportation ; thus the price of these will 

 be greatly mminished. 



It is easy to estimate upon this ground the cost of the beets to a 

 manufacturer who cultivates them himself : I will here give tlie esti- 

 mate of costs for a single acre. 



Purchase of six pounds of seed . . "6 francs. 



Sowing the same 12 



Two weedings 22 



Digging 20 



Transportation 20 



Storing . 3 



Rent of the land 40 



Taxes 10 



Total, 133 franca. 

 Estimating the mean product at 20,000 lbs., the cost to the farmer 



