INTRODUCTION. XIU 



them. But these were found to be written with more 

 or less prejudice, the one condemning the works of the 

 other. For example, the French writers considered 

 that the Germans paid too much attention to the 

 sugar which the beet contained, and too little to the 

 advantages that might be derived from the beet-pulp 

 after a portion of the saccharine principles had been 

 extracted ; whilst the Germans argued that the French 

 made an error quite the opposite of this. 



A special visit to Europe was considered to be of 

 the first importance, and this was undertaken. The 

 sugar factories working only in the winter months, it 

 became necessary to sail at that season, and the author 

 arrived out in the midst of the sugar campaign in 

 France, going thence to the other side of the Rhine, 

 and visiting Belgium on his return. Provided with 

 several letters of introduction, a most cordial reception 

 was in all cases given him, and the new information 

 from the manufacturer, chemist, and farmer was care- 

 fully noted. These, differing from each other in many 

 eases, had for effect the origination of new ideas, which 

 had not previously been published. The Paris Exhi- 

 bition of 1878 being then held, the author took ad- 

 vantage of it to obtain further information, after which 

 he returned to the United States. 



It would have been easy, with the amount of infor- 

 mation here given, to have written a much more ex- 

 tended treatise, but it has not been deemed advisable. 

 Efforts have been made to make the book as complete 

 as, if not more so than, any previous one — if such exists 



