434 



FARMERS' REGISTER— FRENCH AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 



cuttings that the Chinese cultivators have propagated 

 this tree, from time immemorial." 



February 26th, 1834. — "A note was read from M. de 

 Fayolle, in which this correspondent announces to the 

 society, that a priest of the Department, M. Paramelle, 

 seems to have discovered the passages that subterrane- 

 ous waters follow in their course. The author of this 

 discovery has already made numerous applications of 

 it, in that Department and in that of la Dordogne, and 

 at M. de Fayolle's also, in seeking for, and pointing out, 

 springs which have almost always burst forth from the 

 depths which he had previously indicated. After some 

 observations made by M. Hericart de Thury, the 

 society suspends its judgement on the extraordinaiy 

 facts reported in this note, until M. Paramelle has 

 published the work which he announces on this sub- 

 ject, and in which he will explain his hydrognostic 

 theory. In the mean wliile thanks will be i-eturned, 

 in the name of the society, to M. de Fayolle for his 

 communication." 



March 7th, 1S34.— "A letter was read from M. Vil- 

 leret on the agricultural operations at Algiers, in which 

 he announces'the success of many articles of culture, 

 among others of cotton and of the coffee plant, sugar- 

 cane, "Stc. &,c., and the probability of the success of 

 many others. M. Mirbel announces that M. Arnanton 

 cultivates cotton with the greatest success in the Go- 

 vernment garden at Algiers, and that there is no doubt 

 of the possibility of a profitable culture of this plant. 

 He announces that the coffee plant grows well also, 

 with all the cares which are lavished on this shrub; 

 but that much doubt exists relative to the profits of its 

 cultivation. As to the sugar-cane, it grows well; but 

 will it yield as much sugar at Algiers as in the coun- 

 tries where it is now profitably cultivated, and will 

 not the very high price of labor at Algiers increase 

 the chances of no returns from this culture? Every 

 thing, at present, seems to indicate that the efforts of 

 agriculturists ought not to be directed to the cultiva- 

 tion of the sugar-cane. 



M. Chevreul reminds, that Proust has said, from ex- 

 periments made by this chemist, that sugar-canes har- 

 vested in Spain, do not yield enough sugar capable of 

 crystallization to make it profitable to extract and 

 crystallize this sugar. 



"M. de Lasteyrie thinks, from data of his own, that 

 the climate of Algiers is sufficiently warm to ripen the 

 cane as well as in the Antilles and in India, and to 

 make it produce the same quantity of sugar and of as 

 good quality. 



M. Mirbel replies that the coast of Algiers is not 

 warmer than the southern coasts of Spain, and that he 

 sees no probability that the cane can there acquire 

 superior qualities. And if it could even acquire supe- 

 rior qualities, it is not probable that it can acquire the 

 qualities of the canes of the Antilles and of India; 

 besides, the high price of labor would form a second 

 obstacle to the economy of its cultivation and manu- 

 facture: he does not therefore think it prudent yet to 

 indicate the sugar-cane as likely to yield profitable 

 products at Algiers. 



M. Girard says, that he has seen sugar-cane culti- 

 vated in Egypt, that it yields, it is true, a sugar capa- 

 ble of crystallization, and this sugar is extracted with- 

 out b^iinc refined. But he believes the climate of 

 Egypt more favorable to this culture than that of 

 Afgiers, and yet the cane cannot be cultivated there 

 wifh near the" same profit as in the Antilles. 



M. Michaux, without deciding on the question, says 

 that he has seen cultivated in the southern provinces 

 of the United States two very distinct varieties of the 

 sugar-cane: one which ripened in five months, while 

 the other required eight before being fit to cut. The 

 first was cultivated with some profit in provinces 

 where it freezes in the winter. Perhaps we might 

 try this species incur African possession. 



M. Warden communicates a letter of a Mr. Tree- 

 man of South Carolina in the United States, in which 



he mentions a new variety of herbaceous cotton, of 

 long staple, obtained by him, and very superior to that 

 now cultivated. He has sent with his letter some 

 samples of the cotton stil) in the seed. M. Warden 

 submits the samples to the inspection of the society." 



We are at a loss to know what kind of cotton is here 

 spoken of, and who the person is from whom it was 

 derived. But as foreign names of persons are rarely 

 placed in a French work without being changed in the 

 spelling, it may be doubted whether Mr. Treeman's 

 name as here given, without the circumstances which 

 accompany it, would be recognized by its owner. 

 But besides this, there are several other parts of these 

 extracts which show that facts, which in this country 

 are so well known that no one would think them 

 worth being made subjects of distinct communication, 

 are both new and valuable in France — and in like 

 manner, the farmers of this country may receive pro- 

 fitable instruction from the incidental remarks of for- 

 eign writers, on subjects which they would have 

 deemed every where of trivial, if indeed of any value. 

 It is very true that the great mass of agricultural 

 practice in either country is unsuited to the other. 

 But still there are many exceptions to this general state 

 of things — and in these alone, either country may great- 

 ly profit from details of the agiiculture of the other. 

 An open and free exchange of information is greatly 

 wanting, and it is hoped that this desirable state of 

 things is not far distant. We are approaching to the 

 possession of free trade — and of all commodities which 

 it is desirable should be exchanged freely, knowledge 

 is the most important, and the most profitable to both 

 parties. 



Translated for the Farmers' Register, from the Bulletin de la 

 Societe d^ Kncouragcment pour I'lnJustrie Nationale — 1834. 



DTRECTIOKS FOR THE MAKING AND GENER- 

 AL, MANAGEMENT OF SPARKLING CHAM- 

 PAGNE WINE. 



j1 report made by M. Herpin, from ihe Committee 

 on the Economical ylrts, upon a memoir presented 

 by 31. Boyer, on the making of the sparkling 

 white toines of A'i. 



Gentlemen: — It was formerly believed that 

 sparkling was a quality peculiar to the wines of 

 Champagne; the discoveries of pneumatic chem- 

 istry have taught us that this sparkling which la 

 in such high request, is produced by the escape of 

 carbonic acid gas condensed in the liquor, and that 

 to obtain sparkling wine, it is sufficient to bottle it 

 before the imijerceptible fermentation is complete. 



In fact, in many of our departments, and par- 

 ticularly in Burgundy, the preparation of sparkling 

 wines has been attempted with success: j-et Cham- 

 pagne supports the competition with that superi- 

 ority which is given by a suitable soil and proper 

 vine-stocks, and cultivation by skilful and practised 

 laborers, and finally by a certain method improved 

 and established by long experience. 



JVl. Boyer, long a comptroller of the indirect 

 taxes, has taken advantage of his situation and 

 of his residence in Champagne, at Ai itself, to 

 study the process followed there in the prodnction 

 of sparkling wines. His memoir upon this subject 

 gives interesting details which it seems usefiil to 

 us to publish. 



