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Beet-sugar in France.: — The amount of juice expressed from the 

 sugar beet in France during the year ending October 31, 1873, was 

 485,746,810 gallons, a falling off from the previous year of 38,642,523 

 gallons. Its saccharine qualities, however, were improved, the density 

 being 4, while that of 1872 was 3.9. In 1873 the sugar product was 

 224,268,210 pounds, a reduction of nearly 20,000,000 pounds compared 

 with 1872. The export amounted to 22,362,382, about half of that of 

 the previous year. French sugars have found in the English markets 

 a formidable rival in Austrian sugars, a fact which sufficiently explains 

 the reduced export. The French ministry proposed additional taxes 

 upon sugar in November last, on the grounds that it was not an article 

 of prime necessity, that the increased market-price of the article would 

 enable it to bear the imposition, and that the pressure of public bur- 

 dens demands additional sacrifices from this as from other productive 

 interests. The Journal Fratique cV Agriculture combats this measure, 

 and urges that high taxes alone .have prevented sugar from becoming 

 an article of general use, and that the proposed increase of taxes will 

 defeat its purpose by restricting production. 



Meat prices in Europe. — The increasing dearness of meat is the 

 chronic complaint in England, France, Germany, and Eussia. The 

 Saint Petersburg journal Galas blames the railroads for this result, their 

 high tariffs and vicious arrangements rendering it impossible to supply 

 the markets. The transit from Moscow to Saint Petersburg, which should 

 not occupy more than thirty-six hours, is lengthened to six days. The 

 accommodations for live stock are so imperfect that about 20 i)er cent, 

 die on the passage. The temperature of the cars rises to 40^ Eeaumer. 

 Common roads are so bad and food along the route so scarce that de- 

 structive epizootics break out in the droves. 



The New England Agricultural, Club. — This new associcition, 

 Hon. Daniel Needham, Groton, Mass., president, and Daniel Eound, 

 Norfolk, Mass., secretary, held its first public meeting at Waterville, 

 Me., on the 26th, 27th, and 28th of March. It proposes as its objects, 

 institutes for discussion ; collection of statistics respecting the leading 

 crops of New England ; dissemination of the same through the press ; 

 investigations of facts respecting supply and demand : facilities and cost 

 of transportation ; and systems of marketing farm products. The prin- 

 cipal topics presented were : The meat-supply of our large cities ; adap- 

 tation in farming ; better culture ; anatomy and diseases of the horse's 

 hoof; and the resources of the State of Maine. 



•Fruit prospects. — Our correspondent in Wicomico, Maryland? 

 says : Fruit-raising has proved very profitable to farmers ; they realize 

 from a few acres thus planted as much as they formerly dicl from a con- 

 siderable grain-farm. Peaches, according to quality and earliness of 

 ripening, net from one to two and a half dollars per tree, each season ; 

 though the sudden cold of the 24th and 25th, and subsequently the sleet 

 of tbe 31st of March, have killed this crop for the present year. Straw- 

 berries and blackberries, according to thoroughness of culture, net from 

 three to eight hundred dollars x>eracre; raspberries and grapes prom- 

 ise equally well. 



The Portugal onion. — Hon. A. Y. Dockery, United States consul 

 at Oporto, PortugaJ, furnishes an interesting account of the onion raised 

 in that Kingdom, which is published l)elow. With reference to testing 

 the adaptability of this valuable variety in this country, the Department 

 has signified its wish for an early importation of the seed. Tbe consul 

 says : 



