PREFACE. 



THE author for many years past has felt convinced that the 

 future success of the American beet sugar industry would 

 depend upon the introduction of certain principles of economy 

 that are not entirely in accordance with our customs. The 

 utilization of waste is an issue that always appeals to countries 

 where labor is cheap and the struggle of life is hard. In the 

 United States it is only within the past two years that any 

 serious attention has been given to feeding the residuum cos- 

 settes to cattle or finding some use for the molasses remaining 

 after the campaign has ended. There is no doubt but that 

 a large number of the European beet sugar factories would 

 have long since ceased to exist had the resuluums, pulp and 

 molasses not been sold and thus become the sole money returns 

 for the investors. In years when general prosperity prevails 

 this income is that much more to be added to the general profits 

 which frequently during a single campaign reach a total of 80 

 per cent, on the invested capital. 



In 1874 when the beet sugar agitation in the United States 

 was begun, not a single acre was planted in beets and no beet 

 sugar factory was working in this country ; the seeds imported 

 were distributed in many states and the resulting beets were ana- 

 lyzed. There remained on the farmers' hands several tons of 

 beets which had at first to be paid for out of the personal 

 pocket of the writer: it was urged that a reasonable trial be 

 given to these roots for feeding purposes ; this was done, and 

 excellent results followed. Subsequently, the seeds of many 

 varieties, which were gratuitously distributed, had no difficulty 

 in finding some willing tillers to give them a fair trial. This 

 led to solutions of difficult issues among farmers who had fur- 

 nished beets to several of the early Canadian beet sugar fac- 



(v) 



