THE CHIi^ESE SUGAR-CANE. 13 



nary extent, and annually yielded 24,000,000 

 pounds. When a tax was laid upon domestic 

 sugars, it again decreased. But, for the year 

 preceding the first of September, 1853, there 

 was manufactured in France, from the sugar-beet, 

 165,680,790 pounds. A great portion of the beet 

 crop of France is now used for the manufacture 

 of brandy, the grape crop having partially failed. 

 The reputation and demand of French brandy is 

 such, that it becomes profitable to use the beet 

 crop for this purpose, rather than to make sugar. 

 By this France becomes dependent on foreign 

 countries for a large part of the sugar which it 

 consumes. The beet culture for sugar has been 

 extended over Germany, Belgium, and other 

 European states. 



A writer in the Boston Herald, speaking of 

 the deficiencies of the sugar crop of our own and 

 other countries, and showing that the crop of 

 Louisiana will be very much smaller than last 

 year, goes into some figures to show this fact, 

 and quotes from the Philadelphia Journal, which 

 says : '^ In all probability, before next summer, 

 the sugar sold at eight cents a pound in 1854 

 will reach at least double that sum. John 

 Brown, the laborer, must therefore prepare to 

 sweeten his tea with steam-syrup molasses." 



