278 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 5 



sand, decidedly more benefioial than the lighter 

 colored or gray marl, containing flilly as much 

 lime, but less green sand — as will the green sand 

 marls generally on the river, producing a much 

 more prompt and efficient action than the white, 

 or miocene marls of the iorest, although the latter 

 contains a much larger amount of lime, than any 

 of the eocine, or green sand marls. Eut it all 

 repays the farmer, with compound interest, for its 

 use. 



As far as my experience goes, I find that with 

 all marls, or rather calcareous matter, such as we 

 call in this country marl, it is time thrown away, 

 or worse, at least ("or the time being, to apply marl 

 without vegetable matter of some sort. Stable 

 and farm pen manure, and clover, of course are 

 best to use with it; but I find any vegetable mat- 

 ter answers well in sufficient quantity. From my 

 present experience with the use of marls, I cer- 

 tainly preler the mixture of the green sand and 

 hme, or what we call the green sand marl, to 

 either green sand or lime alone. The green sand 

 marls seem to exert a wonderful effect on clover, 

 and all grasses with which I have tried it. It cer- 

 tainly forwards to maturity too, all crops with 

 which I have used it; cotton, I think, 2 or 3 weeks 

 at least. The fallow wheat to which I have refer- 

 red above, is now at least ten days forwarder than 

 any in the neighborhood of the same kind. I 

 have found the only vvay to marl efficiently, was 

 to have a detailed force, set apart from the crop, 

 and kept constantly at it. We never stop our 

 icarts when the weather will permit hauling, ex- 

 cept in harvest and seed time. 



A good many are now beginnin<T to turn their 

 ;attention to marling in the forest, and some on the 

 fiver; and in every case where it has been judi- 

 flciously applied, the same good results have attend- 

 ed. And I see no good reason to doubt, why the 

 fondest anticipations of the patriot and philanthro- 

 pist should not be realized, as regards the tide- 

 water section of Virginia — if the people will only 

 shake off that lethargy and inaction which it seems 

 ■BO easily besets them, and use the means aright 

 with which nature has so abundantly supplied 

 them. 



My views and experience upon the transporta- 

 tion of marl by tide- water, as well as the utility of 

 a rail road, intersecting the heart of the eocine 

 district, across from Richmond to the Rappahan- 

 nock, &c. &c. I must defer for another communi- 

 cation, if you think them worth notice. 



I have now, sir, given you a crude synopsis of 

 my experience with the green sand marl, and 

 somewhat, my views respecting its use. Should 

 you be able to winnow any wheat from the bulk of 

 chaff, which you may think would add to the 

 general fund of agricultural information, or at all 

 interest or benefit any of'j'our readers, it is at your 

 service to dispose of as you think proper — to give it 

 to the public, or throw it aside as worthless. 



C. BRAXTON. 



From the Cultivator. 



ON THE MANUFACTURE OF BEET SUGAR IN 

 THE UNITED STATES 



Paris, Jlpril 15, 1836. 



My Dear Sir — A long space of time has 

 elapsed since my last communication to the State 

 Agricultural Society. Meanwhile I have not had 



a moment out of mind the promise I made in it (o 

 resume the pen as soon as I should have some- 

 thing worthy of" being recommended to their at- 

 tention. It is long since I have been convinced of 

 the vital importance for France of" raising the beet 

 root and manufacturing it into sugar. Some time 

 after my last arrival in the United States, some of 

 my friends wanted me to encourage it in America; 

 one of them, chiefly, who had seen my successful 

 establishment at my estate in France, and who 

 knew I had received from the French jrovernment 

 the gold medal offered for the best making of the 

 beet sufjar; but I could not recommend it lor the 

 United States, when I had witnessed how few had 

 succeeded in this country, even during the reign 

 of Napoleon, when sugar was four times the price 

 it is now. Indeed, after that time the working of 

 the beet sugar was entirely given up in Europe, 

 except in France, where even I was almost the 

 only one who would not give up so easily the hope 

 of the great advantages that discovery was to of- 

 fer one day or another, to a great part of the 

 world. The benevolent monarch who succeeded 

 the great emperor, was soon persuaded that there 

 would be a great benefit for France in encouraging 

 this new branch of agricultural industry. How- 

 ever, nothing more was found necessary to ac- 

 complish the object than a simple honorable re- 

 ward for the most successful; f "or if the making of 

 beet sugar was really useful, it would soon be pro- 

 ved by the benefits the manufacturers would make. 

 The price of sugar had fallen more than one-half 

 and many persons who had invested great capitals 

 in the undertaking, met with very serious losses. 

 However, several continued, and new improve- 

 ments were keeping pace with, and even overbal- 

 anced the disadvantages of the constant lowering 

 in the price of sugar. But, sir, I could not give 

 any encouragement in the United States to similar 

 undertakings before the improvements in the man- 

 ufacturing of beet sugar were made. lam per- 

 suaded that it would have been the cause of com- 

 plete failure in the attempts made by any one till 

 very lately, though it has given great profit to 

 some great establishments in France for a few 

 years past. This I will demonstrate when I enter 

 into more detail. 



For the present moment, what I have said 

 above will be sufficient to answer the double pur- 

 pose of justifying my reserve upon this, so interest- 

 ing subject, and deserving at the same time the 

 confidence I wish to attain now, when I recom ■ 

 mend the cultivation in the United States of the 

 sugar beet, without any further hesitation, for the 

 purpose of manufacturing it info sugar. I am 

 convinced that it will be a very advantageous ag- 

 ricultural pursuit in all parts of" the United States, 

 and chiefly, in the middle and northern states. 

 The great difference in the price of labor between 

 France and America, which in the account of pro- 

 fit and loss, has produced a balance against the 

 United States in the contemplation of this opera- 

 tion, is now overbalanced by the new discoveries 

 and improvements in the fiibrication of the beet 

 sugar. To them, add in fiivor of the United 

 Slates, the cheapness of the soil lor the cultivation 

 of the beet, and of the fuel for manufacturing the 

 sugar. Those advantages are to be found in all 

 (he new states, and some considerable par(s of 

 Ponnsyh-aniaand New- York. There, also, they 

 will have on their side, in uncommon abundance, 



