BEET  SUGAR. 
509 
ceeded  in  having  an  excise  tax  laid  upon  it  of  $32.88  per  ton  in 
1838.  The  unfavorable  influence  of  this  tax  caused  a  decrease 
of  production  so  that  in  1840  but  22,000  tons  were  made,  166 
factories  were  closed,  and  the  manufacture  of  sugar  ceased  in  17 
departments.  In  1840  further  legislation  was  had,  resulting  in 
fixing  a  duty  on  colonial  cane-sugar  of  $90  per  ton,  and  an  excise 
tax  on  beet-sugar  of  $50  per  ton  ;  a  discrimination  of  $40  per 
ton  in  favor  of  the  latter.  In  1842  the  quantity  of  beet-sugar 
rose  to  33,000  tons,  but  the  colonial  opposition  was  renewed,  and 
the  government  proposed  to  the  Chambers  the  entire  suppression 
of  the  beet- sugar  trade.  It  rejected  this  extraordinary  proposi- 
tion, and  the  controversy  was  settled  in  1843  by  an  equal  duty 
and  tax  of  $90  per  ton  on  colonial  and  beet-sugar. 
In  that  year  the  manufacture  of  beet-sugar  was  28,000  tons  ; 
the  import  of  colonial  sugar  83,000  tons.  In  1847  the  first 
advanced  to  50,000  tons,  the  latter  to  88,000.  In  1850,  the  beet- 
sugar  production  reached  62,000  tons,  and  the  colonial  cane-sugar 
had  decreased  to  51,000  tons.  In  1852  another  change  unfavora- 
ble to  beet-sugar  was  made  by  the  tariff  regulations,  and  this  was 
followed  by  two  seasons  unfavorable  for  growing  the  beet ;  but 
in  1853  a  disease  of  the  vine  greatly  lessened  grape  alcohol, 
which^  doubled  in  price,  when  the  manufacturers  of  beet-sugar 
turned  their  attention  to  the  production  of  alcohol  from  the  beet. 
The  production  of  beet-spirit  in  1852  was  352,000  gallons ;  in 
1857  it  was  9,240,000  gallons,  and  that  from  the  vine  showed 
almost  an  equal  increase.  But  in  this  last  year  the  vine  recov- 
ered from  the  disease,  when  the  manufacture  of  beet-sugar  was 
resumed  to  its  full  extent.  In  1858  its  manufacture  was  124,000 
tons,  and  the  importation  of  colonial  cane-sugar  was  116,000 
tons. 
In  1860  the  internal  tax  was  again  changed  to  $60  per  ton  on 
beet-sugar  ;  a  duty  of  $52.88  was  laid  on  colonial  sugar,  and  of 
$66.12  on  foreign  sugar. 
The  per  cent,  of  sugar  now  obtained  by  improved  processes, 
is  from  5  to  6  ;  the  Germans  get  from  7  to  8.  But  in  Prussia 
greater  care  is  observed  in  the  selection  of  the  beets  used.  The 
crop  is  successively  immersed  in  three  different  tanks  of  salt 
water  of  the  densities  of  4,  5  and  6  degrees  Baume ;  the  roots 
