46 BULLETIN 473, U. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



During the last 10 years the imports fluctuated between 74 tons in 

 1909 and 11,392 tons in 1910. The quantity of sugar to be exported 

 and the quantity to be placed on the home market are previously 

 determined for each year by an imperially confirmed resolution of 

 the Council of Ministers. The calculation is made on the basis 

 of the consumption of the previous year and the probable annual 

 increase. The manufacturers are compelled to keep a certain quan- 

 tity as free reserve, and also a determined amount as inviolable re- 

 serve. The Government controls the price of sugar, and on the 1st 

 of September, which is the beginning of the sugar year, a maximum 

 price is fixed for the year. The year is divided into two parts, the 

 first period being the first four months and the second period the 

 last eight months. During the five years 1907-8 to 1911-12 a slightly 

 higher price prevailed during the last period of the year. 



FRANCE. 



BEET SUGAR. 



France ranks fourth among the countries of Europe in the grow- 

 ing of sugar beets, and for some recent years is surpassed by the 

 United States. The total area under cultivation in 1892 was stated 

 at 64,000,000 acres. In each of the years 1909, 1910, and 1911 it was 

 stated at slightly more than 58,000,000 acres. The average area de- 

 voted to the growing of beets during the last twenty years has been 

 about 600,000 acres, or about 1 per cent of the land under cultivation. 

 The area since 1903 has decreased slightly as compared with the ten 

 years preceding that date. 



In 1882 the area of beets harvested was 587,001 acres. This area 

 was reduced to 478,499 acres in 1885, and increased to 837,195 acres 

 in 1901, which was the largest area in beets in the history of the in- 

 dustry. The area decreased in 1904 to 503,521, and increased with 

 slight fluctuations to 566,539 acres in 1912. The yield per acre has 

 been nearly uniform since 1886. The yield that year was 14.41 tons 

 per acre, but decreased to 11.76 the following year, and the annual 

 average yield since that date has been about 12 tons per acre. The 

 year of largest production of beets was 1883, amounting to 9,969,414 

 tons, which decreased in 1887 to 5,648,083. The next year of large 

 production was 1901, amounting to 9,939,94S tons, but decreased 

 slightly more than one-half three years later, and in 1904 amounted 

 to 4,922,157 tons. The following year, 1905, the production increased 

 to 8,445,912 tons, but has been less than 7,000,000 tons since that time, 

 except in 1912, when the production was 7,960,926 tons. The farm 

 value of beets varied from $21,348,000 in 1885 to $44,874,000 in 1900. 

 The average for the period 1885 to 1902 was about $30,000,000. The 

 farm value in 1903 was $25,030,000, but fell to $17,707,000 the follow- 



