This history of sugar beets is from Wikipedia, but many of
you have heard Tom tell the story much better.
"The work of Achard (a scientist researching sugar in
Berlin) soon attracted the attention of Napoleon Bonaparte, who appointed a
commission of scientists to go to Silesia to investigate Archard's factory.
Upon their return, two small factories were constructed near Paris. Although
these factories were not altogether a success, the results attained interested
greatly Napoleon. Thus, when two events, the blockade of Europe by the British
Navy and the Haitian revolution against his brother in law, made the importation
on cane sugar untenable, Napoleon seized the opportunity offered by beet sugar
to address the shortage. In 1811, Napoleon issued a decree appropriating one
million francs for the establishment of beet schools, and compelling the farmers
to plant a large acreage of sugar beets the following year. He also prohibited the
further importation of sugar from the Caribbean effective in 1813."
Evidence of this can be found all over France still today.
No comments:
Post a Comment