GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 355 



The operations upon 10,000 pounds of beets per day, 

 place at the disposal of an agriculturist about 1250 kilo- 

 grammes (^= 1^ tons) of mash, which is the best kind of 

 food for horned cattle. 



The working of the beets 'being performed in winter, 

 furnishes employment to the men and cattle of a farm, at 

 a season when they are too often condemned to idleness. 



Finally, if the manufacture of sugar from beets should 

 be carried to such an extent as to furnish a supply for all 

 France, agriculture would receive from it the value of more 

 than 80,000,000 francs per annum. 



The prosperity of an establishment of this kind, depends 

 upon its being connected with rural labors. This kind of 

 manufactory is out of place in towns, because buying beets 

 is much more expensive than raising them, the mash can- 

 not be rendered productive, labor and fuel are more expen- 

 sive, and there is not, as upon a farm, a supply of labor 

 both of men and animals. 



But can this manufacture be reconciled with the interests 

 of our colonies 1 



Before the revolution, this would have been a difficult 

 question to answer. Then, our colonies not only supplied 

 our own wants, but furnished an overplus worth about 

 80,000,000, which we exported to foreign countries, partic- 

 ularly to those of the north of Europe. From these we 

 received in exchange timber, iron, copper, hemp, tallow, 

 tar, &,c. The loss of our principal colonies has caused this 

 important trade to pass into other hands, and those colonies 

 that remain to us do not furnish sugar enough for the con- 

 sumption of our own country. 



The government has, at this time, two ends to attain, 

 one of which is, the advancing of the welfare of our colo- 

 nies, and the other, the encouragement of the manufacture 

 of beet sugar. Both would be accomplished by prohibiting 

 the importation of foreign sugars. When this is done, the 

 sugar of our colonies will find an advantageous market, 

 and the manufactories of beet sugar will increase in num- 

 ber. 



Supposing the wants of France should be supplied by 

 the sugar from beets, — could we not then resume our com- 

 merce with foreign nations, by means of our colonial sugar? 

 France would, at the same time, be safe from the danger of 

 privation, and from those variations in price which are pro- 

 duced by a maritime war. 



