CULTIVATION OF THE BEET. 35 



francs per hectare, which is from thirty-five to forty- 

 eight dollars per acre. This includes taxes, and also 

 rent of land, which latter varies from eight to twen- 

 ty-five dollars per acre per annum ; and manures, which 

 are applied at a cost of from ten to fifteen dollars per acre. 

 Labor, of men, horses, and oxen, including ploughing, 

 harvesting, and transport of crop to the manufactory, 

 does not materially exceed fifteen dollars per acre. 



I submit here the estimate of a practical French 

 gentleman upon the cost of labor on an acre of beets. 



Ploughing, $5.54 



Weeding. 3.96 



Harvesting, 1.98 



Transport, 3.96 



Total, $15.44 



I can see no reason, then, why the western farmer 

 cannot cultivate an acre of beets at a cost certainly 

 not exceeding forty-five to fifty dollars, for the COST 

 of his acre of land will not average TWICE THE AN- 

 NUAL RENT of the acre in France ; and unless the 

 present system of cultivation is materially changed, he 

 will not apply fifteen dollars worth of manure to the 

 acre, as they do in France. The use of labor-saving 

 machines would probably enable him to diminish con- 

 siderably the amount of hand labor employed, as com- 

 pared with France. Even if he employ the same 

 amount, and pay three times the prices paid by the 

 French, not only for his laborers, but for his teams 

 also, his work will not cost him over forty-five dollars 

 per acre. 



