374 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



[No. 6 



no irioro reason todoiibt the permanency of the benefit, 

 tlian if n itiire had been the improver of the soil. It 

 is certainly true, that very light a|)})licatioiis will re- 

 quire being added to afterwards; and even a heavy 

 dressins; may possibly be advantageoiiiy increased after 

 many years; but not, in either case, because the first ap- 

 plic:itions, or their full benefits, hzye disappeared. Se- 

 cond or additional applications in these cases, are merely 

 additional investments of capital in a business in which 

 the first investment had been, and continued to be, 

 highly productive and profitable, and which thereby 

 invited the investment of more capital, for the purpose 

 of producing still more annual profit. 



If we have attaciied more importance than it de- 

 serves to the short article copied above, it is caused by 

 the high respect which we have been accustomed to 

 entertain, in common with the agricultural public in 

 general, for most of the agricultural opinions of our 

 brother editor. 



From the Centrcville Times. 



MACHINE FOR DRAWING UP THE STUMPS OF 

 TREES. 



Travelling lately on the banks of the Connecticut 

 river, in the vicinity of Hanover, 1 observed hun- 

 dreds, and 1 believe thousands of rods of strong 

 substantial and durable (ence, made of white pine 

 stumps extracted from the ground with their roots. 

 Curiosity led me to inquire by what power and 

 machinery, the operation of extracting was per- 

 tiirmed. An obliging stranger showed me one of 

 the machines and explained the manner in which 

 it was applied — and as I apprehend these machines 

 mav be used to great advantage in many parts of 

 the United States, where they have not been heard 

 of, 1 will endeavor, as far as I can recollect, todes- 

 crdie the machine, and explain the manner of 

 using it. 



The machine consists of a very strong pair of 

 wheels, say 18 leet in diameter; the axis is about 

 15 or 16 inches diameter. Near to, and the in- 

 side of one of the wheels, a third wheel, some- 

 thing less than the others, is framed on the axis 

 as a lujb. A large rope or hawser, is iiistened to 

 the periphery of the small wheel and coils upon it. 

 To the end of this hawser are hitched four oxen 

 — a large chain is made tiist to the centre of the 

 axis and round the stump. The oxen drawing 

 u[)on the hawser, turn the small wheel and axis, 

 while the two large wheels remain stationary, 

 only supporting the operation. The stump when 

 thus extracted is boriie of otf, swinging under the 

 axis, to the line where the fence is to be made. 



It may be necessary to add that where the 

 stump is large, and holds a strong grasp upon the 

 earth, the most prominent top roots should be cut 

 oir three or lburl(>,et ti-om the stumps. 



The fence is constructed by throwing the stumps 

 into line, and stopping in here and there a root to 

 secure the widest openin<xs. To those acquainted 

 with the durability of [white] pine stumps, it is 

 hardly necessary to observe that the lijuce con- 

 structed of ihem will remain sound for at least one 

 generation. 



The machine constructed as above and applied 

 by four men and lour oxen will extract from se- 

 venty to eighty slumps per day. its usefulness 



needs no comment. There is nothing visionary 

 about it. The experiment has been tried upon a 

 large scale, and many a farmer, who heretofore 

 dreaded the pine stump as an enemy which would 

 survive himself and annoy his heirs, now swings 

 his undisturbed scythe or cradle over the strong 

 ground vvliich his liillen foe once occupied. 



[We have seen near Saratoga, New York, the ma- 

 chine above described, though not in operation — and 

 witnessed the valuable effects, in the increased value 

 of the land thus efiectually cleared, compared to its 

 being left encumbered with numerous stumps of so 

 lasting a kind, and also, in the excellent and durable 

 fences thus made. But there were several circum- 

 stances there existing, which are not found here, and 

 which made the operation more easy, and more neces- 

 sary, that it would be with us. The wood of the 

 white pine, which is almost the sole forest growth of 

 that sandy region, is very lasting — therefore is so 

 much the more valuable in a fence than stumps here, 

 and would be so much more a lasting impediment to 

 tillage, if not removed. Besides these motives for the 

 operation, the sandy nature of the soil and sub-soil 

 about Saratoga, made the extraction of stumps much 

 easier, than it would be on more close soil. 



From tlie Journal of the Franlilin Institute. 

 FABRICATION OF BEET SUGAR IN FRANCE. 



From the Becevil Indvstriel, for November 

 1836, we make the following abstract in relation to 

 the expenses and profits of the cultivation of beets 

 and the manufacturing of sugar in France. 



We shall take as an example the factories of 

 our northern deparUiients, where this enterprise 

 has been longer and most profitably pursued. In 

 this part of France a hectare of land suitable for 

 the cultivation of beets, rents at a medium price 

 for 70 fr-ancs a year. The occupier has to pay a 

 duty of 12 francs per hectare, so that the soil of 

 each hectare costs him 82 francs. 



The expenses of seeding and culture including 

 manure, laboring, weeding, and gathering the 

 plants, may be estimated at 300 fi-ancs ; hence a 

 hectare of beets costs in these departments about 

 382 francs. The produce fi-om this quantity of 

 ground is from sixty to eighty thousand weight of 

 roots. Taking 76 as a medium, we find that the 

 manufacturer who is also the cultivator of his beets, 

 pays lor them about 5 francs 45 centimes per thou- 

 sand. Although in some fi.ivourable circumstan- 

 ces from 8 to 8^ per cent, of sugar has been ob- 

 tained from the beet, it would not do to estimate 

 the ordinary product at more than 5 per cent. At 

 this rate the thousand of beets would yield 50 demi- 

 kilog. of sugar, and consequently the produce of 

 a hectare would be 3,500 demi-kilog. of sugar. 



The cost of fiibrication, including animal char- 

 coal, fuel, manual labor, wear and tear of ma- 

 chinery, oflice duties, &c. amounts at least to 750 

 francs to bring to a crystaline state the sugar of a 

 hectare of land. Hence the 3,500 lbs. of sugar 

 which the hectare produces comes, altogether, to 

 1132 francs, which makes a pound of sugar cost 

 32 centimes; but froni this we may deduct the val- 

 ue of the molasses (about two per cent, of the 

 weight of the beets) and of the residue of the 



