No. 10. 



The, Sugar Beet. 



32:j 



nv roots for the cattle. I sent to New York 

 i)i-;i tiininpslicer, but it did not answer. Wc 

 iccil a pood r(X)t cutter — simple, cheap, and 

 ■n-ily repaired if it gets out of order. 1 have 

 )in' of Green's straw cutters^ — it is a <Tood arti- 

 ]•', hut too complex, and though it is m the end 

 I i^rpcat saving to any farmer or stock breeder, 

 .vlid will use it, yet the price at which it is 

 itld is an objection in the minds of some. 



C. W. 



Ihila. Co. April 17th, 1830, 



V Root Cutters simplified, a good article, 

 areen's and also Willis' straw and hay cut- 

 ;ers, with many other approved implements 

 ised in agriculture and horticulture, may be 

 )btained at the Agricultural Ware-House and 

 Seed Store, No. 87 North Second st, Phila- 

 [lelphia. — Ed. 



The Sugar Beet. 



To the Kditorof the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Sir, — Allow me to urge upon yournumer- 

 lus friends the expediency of sowing large 

 |uantities of sugar beet for the feeding of 

 iheep and cattle of every description, during 

 he comitif^ winter: there is yet time to se- 

 !ure a full crop, and experience has abun- 

 lantly testified that in no country in the world 

 !an tnis inestimable root be cultivated with 

 luch decided success as in this, "the country 

 (f the mocking bird," which cannot be reared 



li lut in light and heot — the two principles 



lk|vhich sro to make saccharine. 



On looking over the report of the "Beet 

 3ngar Society of Philadelphia," I perceive 

 hat a difference of six tons per acre, in the 

 rops of beets grown in the neighborhood of 

 Ooway, is noted, when compared with those 

 aised in the vicinity of Arras. This is ac- 

 lounted for by the circumstance of the soil of 

 he former place being of a lightpr and dryer 

 lature, and consequently engendering a 

 greater warmth of climate, which operates 

 .stonishinjrly in the culture of the crop, brinnf- 

 ng it enrlier to matin"ity, and adding greatly 

 its quality as well as quantity : but even 

 hero, seven pounds per root is an unnstial 

 cciirrpnce — what shall we say then to those 

 aised during the last season, of almost un- 

 irecedented drought, by our friends John and 

 onathan Palmer (see p. 199 of the Cabinet) 

 ireifrhing 19J Ib-j.! Assuredly, the friends and 

 jatrons of the Institution, to whom we are 

 ndehted for the introduction of that valuable 

 Top amongst us, must be satisfied that their 

 ibors have been, so far, abundantly successful. 

 But, allow me to introduce to your noticea 

 'oung friend, who, a few years ago, purchased 

 very small place, upon which he resides in nf- 

 iuence, in the true sense of the word. His 



garden furnishes him with vegetnbles and fruit 

 in the greatest abundance, and his little field 

 yielded just sutficient foixl for liisltorsc, until» 

 on my recommendation, he broke upapftrtof 

 it and sowed sugar beets, which flourished 

 amazingly; and with care in the cultivation,, 

 and sowing the seeds of that root ia every 

 spare corner which he could find, he ha.s boerv 

 enabhul to add a cow to his stock, whkh is, I 

 calculate, about 1(K) per cent, in adyance. — 

 And I was deliiftited to find him busily em- 

 ployed, the last time I visited hin>, in what he- 

 called a work of creation — adjoiuin-ghis gar- 

 den was a waste spot, covered v/ilh stones and 

 rubbish of every description, the accuraulatiors 

 if many years; and instead of cleaning it, at 

 much labor and expense, he dug a ditch around 

 it, and the earth which was thrown oot, he 

 carried over the surface, covering to a great 

 thickness the weeds and stones and rubbish, 

 which, if he had attempted to remove, he 

 would have bad no place in whic-h to depo- 

 sit them ; thus making a virtue of necessity, 

 and adding to his possessions sufficient space 

 to grow an additional quantity of sugar beet, 

 for the support of a heifer calf which he is 

 rearing ! The approach to his eottage is or- 

 namented with a plantation of choice trees, 

 which he keeps clean by digging with the 

 spade, in preference to hoeing, and at his 

 spring culture, he sows sugar beet amongst 

 the trees, which come to great perfection ; 

 adding much to the benefit of the trees, by 

 shading the surface during summer, and af- 

 fording an extra earthing at the removal of 

 the crop in autumn. Need I add my friend 

 resides in one of the Eastern States? In this 

 part of Pennsylvania and in New Jersey, the 

 people are not so blest, they are not compelled 

 to be so industrious — land is too plentiful and 

 too cheap. 



I conclude by observing, that if farmers 

 would plant largely the sugar beet, we should 

 have fat house lamb of 8 or 10 pounds per 

 quarter in our markets, about Christmas, .so 

 fine as to be a real luxury on the table, instead 

 of those little nondescripts, with skins on, 

 which we see exposed for sale at the present 

 time, and which appear to have been put out 

 of existence on the principle of humanity, to 

 save them from starvation ! And if they loill 

 so busy themselves, I promise them a descrip- 

 tion of a fatting establi.«hment near London, 

 where lamb and veal and butter are made in 

 winter at a profit which would astonish them ! 

 and this I will do by the time they have need 

 of the information. B. C. 



P. S. A person informs nje that on a late 

 visit to the suorar di.stricts in France, he was 

 shown a small field, less than an acre, which 

 had bpen rented for one year by a beet grower, 

 for260franc9=:$52! 



May 1st, 183P. 



