No. a 



Horticultural Exhibition. — Thoughts. 



91 



3d. the beet juice contains a much greater proportion 

 of foreign and injurious matter, decoinpopition com- 

 mences almost immediately after it is pressed out, and 

 if allowed to go on to any extent will entirely defeat 

 the making of sugar. 4th. the proportion of saccharine 

 matter contained in equal quantities of corn and beet 

 juice is as 3 to 1 in favour of the former, therefore the 

 same difference will be fouml in the amount of fuel ne- 

 cessary in evaporation. 5th. beet sugar when obtained 

 is inferior in quality and loses a larger per cent, in re- 

 lining. 6th. corn is a native of our country, perfectly 

 suited to the climate, a true American, and is in fact 

 the finest plant in the world ; the author of " Arator" 

 (Col. Taylor of Virginia) used to call it our "meal, 

 meat, and manure." We now add sug-ar to the list of 

 its valuable productions. Respectfullv yours. 



WM. WEBB. 



I am free to confess that I have never seen beet sugar 

 prepared by first process at all equal to the samples of 

 corn-stalk sugar forwarded by Dr. Thomson, while the 

 molasses, which, by the bye, contains more than 50 per 

 cent, of sugar, is far superior to that made from the 

 beet by any process — indeed I have never known beet- 

 molasses pure enough for any purpose but distillation 

 or the feeding of stock, for which last, however, it is of 

 very great importance. Mr. Webb has the merit of de- 

 ciding the question, " Can good sugar be made from the 

 corn-stalk ?" Whether it can be made to profit, is a 

 Pecond consideration, which he will have it in his power 

 to determine. The simple mode of operation which he 

 details would do but little in the fabrication of sugar 

 from the beet ; for while there is not the least difficulty 

 in the process by well-appointed machinery, it is rea- 

 dily admitted that a considerable portion of art is re- 

 quisite in the numerous stages of the fabrication of 

 beet-sugar, to free it from the impurities found in the 

 root. With improved apparatus and experience in the 

 present art of refining, there is no question that loaf- 

 Sugar might be made by first process from the corn-stalk. 



Mr. Webb's modest and unreserved account of the 

 mode of manufacture will be read with very great in- 

 terest, for if the corn-grower can be directed to a new 

 channel for the consumption of half his crop in the 

 fabrication of an article of such legitimate usefulness, 

 the gain to the community will be of incalculable im- 

 portance. The pages of the Cabinet will be open for 

 the register of farther information on the interesting 

 subject ; would Mr. Webb employ them for the purpose, 

 sod oblige its numerous readers. J. Pedder. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Horticnltnral Exhibition. 



Mr. Editor, — The Horticultural Society 

 of Philadelphia held their thirteenth annual 

 Exhibition at the Masonic Hall, on the 22d, 

 23d, and 24th of the present month. Nothing 

 could exceed the splendour of the collection, 

 or the elegance of arrangement, — it is but 

 faint praise to say the present exhibition 

 stands unrivalled. The profusion of fruits, 

 flowers and vegetables, was immense; the 

 managers exerted every method of display, 

 and succeeded in their endeavours to render 

 a feast truly magnificent and equal in every 

 respect to the high expectations of the com- 

 munity ; and they were richly rewarded by 

 the approbation and admiration expressed by 

 the many thousands who crowded the rooms 



during the three days they were opened for 

 exhibition. Many of the vegetables were 

 truly gigantic — the Valparaiso squash of 101 

 lbs., with egg plants weighing 10 lbs. each; 

 sugar beets of 14 lbs., and others of 8 lbs. 

 each, of most perfect growth, from seed sown 

 on the 19th June, after a crop of peas, and 

 harvested ripe. 



It was exceedingly gratifying to find the 

 suggestion of a correspondent of the Cabinet 

 — vol. 4, page 343, " On the naming of Flow- 

 ers" — in a measure carried out at this exhi- 

 bition; for many of the very beautiful dahlias 

 bore the names of some of the most elegant 

 females of polished society: and the culti- 

 vators of this remarkably diversified and bril- 

 liant class of plants need not despair of find- 

 ing a sufficient choice of names and attributes 

 amongst the ladies of Philadelphia and its 

 environs, to suit the most fastidious taste — 

 the superb, the gorgeous, the magnificent, the 

 splendid, the sparkling, the elegant, the 

 chaste, the modest, the lovely, the unassum- 

 ing, the retiring — all, too, as perfect in form, 

 in native grace and dignity, and correctness 

 of display, as could be found in that highly- 

 prized and much-admired collection of flow- 

 ers, which took the premium at the first day's 

 exhibition ! And it is to be hoped that at the 

 next exhibition we shall meet with all those 

 whom we honour, admire and love, in the 

 semblance of that finished work of Nature's 

 own — the beautiful Dahlia. 



A Casual Visitor. 



Sept. 28, 1841. 



Thoughts. 



They come, when the sunlight is bright on the moun- 

 tain ; 



They come, when the moonshine is white on tlje foun- 

 tain ; 



At morn and at even, by minutes and hours, — 



But not as they once were, of birds and of flowers. 



They come, when some token of past days will rise, 

 As a link to the present, — and then they bring sighs; 

 They come, when some dreaming through hopes and 



through fears. 

 Rushes on to the future, — and then they bring tears. 



They come, When the sea-mist o'er ocean is rife, 

 And they tell of the shadow that hangs over life ; 

 They come, when the storm in thunder and gloom. 

 Spreads aloud, and theyspeak of the earth and the tomb. 



They come, when the ripple is low on the lake, 

 And the plover is nestling by fountain or brake; 

 And the twilight looks out with a star on its breast. 

 And they whisper, that all but themselves are at rest. 



They come, when the low breeze is fanning the leaves; 

 They come, when the flow'r-cup the dew-drop receives; 

 By night's noontide silence, by day's noontide hum, 

 At all times, oh ! deeply and darkly they come. 



The^'ms^ man does all that his fellow-crea- 

 tures can reasonably claim at his hands — the 

 good man does more ; he serves them beyond 

 the limits of any law, in cases in which they 

 could demand nothing of him, which is kind- 

 ness. 



