206 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Sepr., 1897. 
dollars have any appreciable influence on the output of sugar. Russia has been 
cited as an exception to this rule. The output of beet sugar in Russia annually 
is about 750,000 tons. ‘The total number of factories in operation is about 300. 
The average annual output of each factory in round numbers is 5,000,000 Ib., 
representing an average consumption of 25,000 tons of beets. From these 
figures it is seen that the average size of the Russian beet-sugar factory is not 
greatly different from that of other European countries. 
“Waste Products.—The waste products of the factory consist of the pulps 
and molasses. The molasses is used for various purposes, either for making 
sugar, for fertilising purposes, for the manufacture of alcohol, or sometimes for 
cattle food. The pulps make a valuable cattle food. They may be fed in the 
fresh state or preserved in silos. Lately extensive experiments have been made 
in drying the pulps and preserving them in the dried state, and these experi- 
ments have been fairly successful. It is stated that the value of the pulps for 
feeding purposes is from one-fourth to one-fifth of the value of the beets. 
“ Cost of Manufacture-—The cost of manufacture depends on as many 
factors as that of beetgrowing. Chief among these are transportation, 
fuel, weather, and labour. Perhaps the most important of these factors is the 
price of fuel. In some localities coal can be had for $1:25 per ton; in others 
the cost may reach as high as $10 per ton. 
“The manufacture of beet sugar is conducted without governmental 
‘supervision in this country, and any exact account of its cost is inaccessible. 
To show what it may be, with large experience and the highest skill and 
management, the mean cost of manufacture in 113 German factories is given :— 
Mean capital invested in each factory me =e ¥e rv * $193,400°00 
Total receipts for sugar, molasses, and pulps per ton of beets... $1110 
Mean cost of beets per ton of 2,204°62 lb. ... ss iss .-- $4°90 
Salaries per ton of beets A Me 26 
Labour per ton of beets mo ai cS an ” 73 
Interest on investment per ton of beets... He oe Je 30. 
Coal per ton of beets ... a ipts os ee mi) 
Miscellaneous expenses per ton of beets... a3; “ PERG 
Total expense of manufacture per ton... “$y: “We AT + 7°84 
Profit per ton of beets... + $326 
“The mean net profit for each factory was $34,240. ‘The price paid for 
‘beets, however, is in most cases fictitious, the beetgrowers owning the 
factory and preferring to share in the general profits rather than to charge a 
high price for the beets. Tirst-class beets rarely sell for less than $5 a ton. 
The Western Beet Sugar Company, of Watsonville, Cali., stated that in its first 
campaign, 1888-9, the cost of manufacture amounted to $80°80 (£16 16s. Sd.) 
per ton of sugar. At the present time it appears that with the best machinery 
and most economical processes beet sugar can be made in this country at a cost 
of from 8 to 4 cents per lb. when the price of rich beets does not exceed 
-$5 a ton. ; 
“ Oost of Hactory.—TVhe cost of building a first-class beet-sugar factory is 
much greater than is commonly supposed. From the most reliable data at 
hand it may be stated that in Europe the cost of erecting a factory with the 
most modern machinery, of a capacity of at least 300 tons of beets per day, is 
-about $200,000. In this country it is probable that, owing to the increased 
-cost of transportation and the higher price of labour, the cost of a similar 
factory would be at least $250,000. As has been intimated before, it is not 
advisable to attempt to manufacture beet sugar with smaller factories or with 
machinery and appliances which do not represent the latest improvements. It 
is true that there are many parts of a sugar factory which have not changed 
much within the last twenty years, but even the multiple-effect apparatus, the 
strike-pans, and the centrifugals, which represent the most stable parts of the 
machinery, have undergone considerable changes within the time mentioned. 
* About £40,000. + £1 13s, + 18s. 6d. 
