Tlie Cultivation of Sugar-Bed. 
415 
the factory a certain weight of beetroot during the season. The 
factories are run on this principle, and after the owners' contract 
quantity is worked up they buy further quantities in the open 
market if they deem it advisable, and by this system each factory 
is secured a minimum quantity at a stipulated price each season. 
It is estimated that the capital required to establish in England or 
Ireland a single factory capable of dealing with 50 tons of roots per 
day would be about 8,000/. or 10,000/. 
Attempts have been made to establish such factories in this 
country, and they appear to have been unsuccessful chiefly for 
the reason that the promoters lost sight of the most important 
necessity of securing the co-operation of a sufficient number of 
farmers who would undertake the growth for a period of years of an 
adequate area of beetroot. The elaborate experiments at Lavenham 
were further handicapped through local difficulties in connection 
with the disposal of refuse water. 
An instructive table published in the Deutsche Zucker Industrie 
shows for the German joint-stock beet-sugar companies, for the year 
1887-88, the name of each factory, the quantity of beets worked up, 
the price of beets, the amount written off capital account, and 
the profit or loss on the year's working. As many as 176 factories 
are enumerated, the individual capitals of which range from 7,500?. 
to 300,000/. Only seven factories show a loss on the year's working, 
the greatest loss being 3, 3687. Profits are shown by 1 60 companies, the 
highest profit being 36,000/. on a capital of 236,000/. Nine factories 
show neither profit nor loss, the balance being written off. 
The following extract is taken from a letter recently addressed 
to Dr. Yoelcker by Mr. James Duncan, whose name was mentioned 
at the outset : — ■ 
"In the year 1868 or 1869, 1 erected a sugar factory in Suffolk. 
This was done after careful experiments all over England, 
Ireland, and Scotland. I found the east of Ireland and the east 
of England gave the best results, the west of England the 
worst, the midland counties very fair. Sugar-beet wants a warm 
wet summer and a cool dry autumn, also a cold winter to conserve 
the roots. In the west of England the beet continues to grow in 
the autumn, and does not ripen ; dry frosty weather ripens the 
root; mdd moist weather keeps the leaves growing. 
" The reason why sugar-beet is not grown in this country is on 
account of the sugar bounty system. Germany, Austria, France, 
Belgium, and Holland have found this industry to be very profit- 
able, employing much labour, introducing into farming a superior 
class of men, and requiring a large number of cattle to consume 
the pulp. The corn-crops, by the increase of manure and the 
very careful scientific culture, have been greatly increased. 
" Sir John Lawes and Dr. Gilbert carried out a lot of experi- 
ments on the growth of sugar-beet ; but since they stopped the 
experiments, the Germans have very largely increased the per- 
centage of sugar in the roots ; twenty-one per cent, is now quite 
common. 
