110 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



a command of maimre as to give him a sufficiency. 

 It is therefore of much consequence to him never 

 to spread a load but wliere it will be sure to answer 

 best. Every man complains of a want of dung; 

 and he should be careful therefore to give it to the 

 crops that will pay best for the expense. As to 

 distance lietween the rows of peas, the practice of 

 various fanners differs exceedingly. Eqni-distant 

 rows from 9 to 18 inches are common. I have 

 eeen them at two feet and even at three. In dib- 

 bling, it is common in Norfolk and Suflfolk, to put 

 in a row on every flag or turrow-slice of 9 or 10 

 inches breadth ; and I have known very good 

 crops in most of these distances. If horse-hoeing, 

 or much hand-hoeing is intended, double rows at 

 9 inches, with intervals of 18, do well; but the 

 greatest crops I have known have been from plant- 

 ing every furrow-slice. "When drilled in rows, the 

 interval of 15 to 18 inches is to be preferred. 

 This enables an efficient horse-hoeing of" the land 

 during the early stages of their growth. From two 

 to two bushels and a half per acre is the usual 

 quantity when planting every furrow. If they are 

 drilled at greater distances, six or seven pecks will 

 do. Some have trusted to one bushel per acre, 

 but that quantity ia too small." 



It will be seen that he condemns utterly the 

 practice of sowing peas broadcast. He takes it 

 for granted that the crops will be hoed. "We have 

 not much hope that at present our farmers will 

 hoe their peas, and as long as this is the case we 

 lose one of the greatest advantages of drilling. 



Mr. Morton truly says " a frequent crop of peas 

 is no evidence of cross-cropping." "When the crop 

 is hoed, and the land is afterward covered with a 

 bnlky smothering growth of haulm, it is — like tur- 

 nips — equivalent to a fallow crop. On a clover 

 sod intended to be enmmer-fallowed for wheat, a 

 crop of peas may sometimes be taken without in- 

 jury to the following wheat crop. In this case the 

 land must be rich and clean, and the crop of peas 

 80 heavy as to smother the weeds. The peas can 

 be harvested early enough to allow ample time to 

 prepare the land for wheat, and we have known 

 the crop to be nearly as good after peas as after a 

 summer-fallow. Occasionally, when we have very 

 dry weather, the pea-laud is not moist enough to 

 ensure the germination of the wheat, and this is 

 the chief objection to growing peas instead of 

 snmmer-fallowing. The only remedy there is for 

 this is to sow the wheat with the drill. The seed 

 can be deposited evenly, at a depth sufficient to 

 ensure the necessary moisture. 



We have no doubt that as we farm better — as 

 our land becomes richer and cleaner — a crop of 

 peas will more frequently take the place of a sum- 

 iner-fallow for wheat. But we must not sell the 

 peaa. They must be consumed oq the farm to pre- 

 T«)t injury from the "bug" and to enrich the land. 



CULTIVATION OF THE BEET FOE SUGAB. 



In the Gene»ee Farmer for March, 1862, we pre- 

 sented some facts in regard to the sugar-beet in 

 Europe, and remarked : 



" We see no reason why beet-sugar should not 

 be extensively manufactured in this country. The 

 climate is well adapted to the growth of beets, and 

 the present and presumptive high price of sugar 

 would insure large profits. The cane contains 

 twice as much sugar as the beet, but not more than 

 seven per cent, is usually obtained from it in prac- 

 tice. This is no more than can be obtained from 

 the beet-root. Sixteen tuns of beet-roots can 

 easily be raised per acre. This would yield, at 

 seven per cent., 2,240 pounds of sugar, besides 

 molasses. There is, too, another important item 

 of profit — the leaves of the beets and the pulp. 

 Both can be used as food for cattle ; and it must 

 be borne in mind that, as nothing is removed but 

 sugar, all the manurial elements of the crop are 

 left on the farm. The cultivation ot the beet-root, 

 therefore, is one of the very best methods of in- 

 creasing the fertility of the farm." "^!w^ 



All that we have heard and seen during the past 

 year only strengthens our belief in the feasibility 

 and profitableness of manufacturing sugar from 

 beets. There is no difficulty in raising the beets. 

 Through the politeness of JonN H. Klippabt, Sec- 

 retary of the Ohio State Board of Agriculture, we 

 obtained some seed of the Imperial beet- root. M. 

 Knaukb, of Germany, originated this variety, and 

 it is said to contain as much as 17i per cent, of 

 sugar I The roots are not large, but it those we 

 have are genuine they are of good size. Sixteen ; 

 tuns of bulbs per acre could be grown with tlie | 

 most ordinary cultivation, and if only 10 per cent, 

 of sugar was obtained from them, we should have 

 3,200 pounds of sugar per acre I 



During the past year Prof. Mott, of Columbus, 

 Ohio, has been experimenting with beet-sugar. 

 His apparatus is of the rudest description, but with 

 it he gets 8 per cent, of sugar from the beet. He 

 is sanguine of the highest success, and a large area 

 of land in his vicinity will undoubtedly bo planted 

 to beets the present season. 



Mr. BELcnKK, of the Chicago sugar-refinery, last 

 year imported seeds of some of the best varieties 

 of beet*, which he distributed among farmers. 

 Quite a large quantity of beets was collected at 

 the refinery, and were crushed and the sugar ex- 

 tracted. The Prairie Farmer of February 14 

 states that the result "was in the highest degree 

 satisfactory to the experimenters. The sugar is 

 of dark color (may be easily refined into the purest 

 white sugars), but the grain is strong, the crystals 

 large and regular, and the flavor very sweet and 

 pleasant. In comparing it with the best samples 

 of sorghum or imphee sugar, one is at once etrock 



