326 
SiKjar-Bect Cultivation in Austria. 
every degree of iuteusity ; and it would of course be impossible 
to give, within the limits of the pages of the Journal, any 
full-length description of the varieties of cultivation, crops and 
live-stock in an Empire four times the size of England and 
Wales, with every sort of soil, climate, altitude — an agglomera- 
tion of twelve or more different races, with the physical and 
mental characteristics of the Teuton, Czech, Magyar, Italian, 
Pole, Russian, and Turk. Such a description, even if room 
could be found for it, would not be of much value to the British, 
farmer, since the circumstances of different countries and nation- 
alities vary so gi-eatly that it might not be wise for him to copy 
in England methods of cultivation found successful in Alpine 
valleys or Hungaiian plains. 
There is, however, one important agricultural industry in 
Austria-Hungary that has at the present moment a veiy par- 
ticular interest for us in this country, now that renewed efforts 
are being made to draw public attention to the manufacture of 
home-grown sugar ; and it occurred to me, therefore, that it 
might be useful if, whilst I was in Austria on the business of 
the International Agricultural Congress last autumn, I made a 
special investigation on the spot into the cultivation of the sugar- 
beet. I\lainly through the good offices of Chevalier Max. von 
Proskowetz, the indefatigable Honorary Secretary of the Con- 
gress, to whose cheery companionship and never- failing fore- 
thought I owe most of the pleasure of my visit, I was enabled 
to make under the most favourable auspices a detailed inspection 
of two typical sugar factories and a number of beet farms in 
Northern Austria, at Lundenburg and Wischau respectively, arid 
to collect much of the information summarised in the following 
pages. 
At Lundenburg I inspected eight separate farms of a total 
area of 7,050 acres, which are under the personal management 
of Herr Kuffner, the proprietor of the sugar factory ; and at 
Wischau ten farms of a total area of 5,800 acres, which ai'e 
under the control of the Company owning the factory. At this 
last factory, 40,000 tons of beet-root are dealt with annually, 
and 300 workmen are employed, excluding the labourers on 
the farms. 
The Bicet-Sugah Industry on the Continent. 
In the discussions which have of late taken place as to the 
possibility ul' growing sugai'-beet in this country, the allegation 
has been made that the system of bounties practised by foreign 
nations is the on\y real impediment in the way of its profitable 
