306 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



APRIL, 6, 1836. 



assistance, it would have shared tiie fate of many 

 other improvements lying for ages, or dying in 

 their infancy, once pronounced by ordinary men 

 visionary projects. 



The discovery that Beet contains a perfect 

 Sugar, remained for over sixty years without any 

 useful application ; many attempts, however, had 

 been made to derive the benefit of it ; but those 

 having made these attempts, being rather men of 

 science than men of business, having operated 

 only upon a small scale, with purely scientific 

 views, and having made no calculations, either of 

 expenditures or results, they had no ground to 

 . proceed upon. I undertook to solve that problem, 

 and to that effect made the first, in France, an 

 experiment on a large scale, and by a sufficient 

 reward induced a chemist to assist me. 



The result of this experiment was transmitted 

 to Napoleon on the 19th of March, 1811, aild by 

 his order rendered public ; and though the birtli 

 of his son took place on the 21st of the same 

 month, on the 25tli following appeared the decree, 

 a copy of which is among the subjoined docu- 

 ments. By this decree, as you will perceive, he 

 created six experimental factories for the manu- 

 facturing of sugar, he appoints me the director of 

 one of them, which factory he gives to me in 

 property, as a reward for my labor, and for having 

 (perfectonne) improved the process for obtaining 

 the sugar of beet. Such was my zeal, that my 

 factory in the fall of 1813 was prepared, and all 

 the beet raised by me or contracted for, so as to 

 produce 1500 lbs. a day of brown sugar, and the 

 same refined. The first entry of the allies into 

 France caused the total ruin of my establishment. 

 Up to 1816 political events were unfavorable for 

 sugar making, but from that year this manufacture 

 ■was resumed, and Jias since never ceased to in- 

 crease and improve; it is now computed that over 

 300 such manufactories exist, producing together 

 yearly about from 18 to 20 millions of pounds of 

 brown sugar. 



Now, sir, since the making of sugar of beet 

 begins to attract the attention of some agricul- 

 lurers of this country, I deem it of interest for 

 them, and to gratify the curiosity of others, here 

 to state what were the calculations made in France 

 in 1832, (the latest date of my information) and 

 add a few observations respecting the benefits one 

 may derive by the mere culture of beets in this 

 country. It is generally admitted, viz : 

 Tliat one ton (2000 lbs.) of beet delivered 



at the Factory costs $3. 



That the expenses to work one ton of beet 

 for obtaining its sugar, $4. 



That 2000 lbs. beets will yield 100 lbs. 



brown sugar, costing $7. 



Thus one pound of brown sugar, good quality, 

 costs 7 cents. 



By a. comparison of the expenses of culture in 

 various parts of France, and on various soils and 

 situation, the average expenses of cultivating there 

 the extent of an American acre of land, are as 

 follows: Rent and taxes $5,60; ploughing and 

 harrowing $2 88; manure $1 93; sowing 50 cents; 

 ■weeilings and hoeing $2 40; gathering $160; 

 carting $156; farmer's profit $4. Making a 

 total of $21 46. 



The produce varies according to the quality of 

 the soil, the quantity of manure used, and the 

 care bestowed on the culture — as we have taken 



the average of the jiroduce, which is of 7 tons. 

 Some yield as much as 15 tons. 



The four dollars profit the French farmer 

 derives from this culture, on every acre, is far from 

 being the only one ; the others are 



1st. The good state in which the field is left 

 after gathering the beets — no further manure 

 being wanted for the succeeding crop, which cro]) 

 experience has proved to be always inore abundant 

 and of a better quality when succeeding the cul- 

 ture of beets ; owing to the destruction of the 

 noxious weeds, caused by weeding the beets when 

 young, and prevented from growing, by the thick 

 foliage of the beet when strong. 



2d. The facility afforded the cidtivator to apply 

 to the culture of beet lands, which he formerly 

 left lie fallow, and consequently, without any 

 additional expenses of rent and taxes, deriving as 

 good a revenue from this laud, as from any other 

 producing the most. 



3d. The advantages the cultivator derives by 

 the purchase from the manufacturer, of the pumice 

 of beet at a price not higher than beetsj when 

 experience has proved this pumice is worth for 

 him fifty per cent, more ; for in fact it is after all 

 but beet — deprived of two thirds of water, and 

 consequently a more nourishing food for his cattle, 

 perfectly fitted for fattening them, producing 

 wonders in that respect; which could not be 

 expected from beet in their natural state. 



The following is a statement of the receipt and 

 expenditure of a Sugar establishment, as reported 

 to the Society for the Encouragement of Manu- 

 factures in France. The whole work was per- 

 formed in 91 days. 

 Purchase of 500 tons of beet deliv- 

 ered at $3 20, 

 1638 days' work of men at 20s. 455 

 do. of women at 12s. 364 do. of 

 children at 5s. 

 For extra work during the night, 

 40 cubic feet wood for fuel daily, 

 (28 cords 3-100 at $16 7-100 per 

 cord,) 

 Sundry materials for manufactur- 

 ing purposes. 

 Food for 18 oxen used in the mill, 

 Interest on $3000 at 15 per cent. 



for wear and tear, 

 Rent of buildings, 



$1600 00 



400 40 

 109 20 



473 20 



813 60 

 163 60 



450 00 

 120 00 



Total, 

 Deduct for Molasses sold for 

 125 tons Pumice at $3 20 

 Value of some materials left, 



$4130 00 

 $320 

 400 

 30 750 



Produce of 50,000 lbs. brown Sugar 



at $0 67-10 $3380 00 



Sale of 36,000 lbs. 1st quality at 



$0 15 $8400 



Sale of 14,000 2nd quality at 10 1400 9800 



Profit, $3420 00 



Should this notice be favorably received, I have 

 at your disposal a few particulars respecting the 

 cultivation of beets. 



I am respectfully, sir, 



your most obd't serv't, 



MAX'N ISNARD, 

 French Vice Consul for Boston. 



f. Mixing salt \yith their food will prevent chick- 

 ens from taking gapes. ^ 



NEW MODE OP REARING ASPARAGUS. 



The asparagus seed should be sown from the 

 middle of March to the last of April, in a rich 

 spot, (not too much exposed to the mid-day sun,) 

 one inch deep, and the seed one inch apart ; aftei- 

 they come up, to be kept clear of grass and weed- 

 during the summer, by hand weeding, to be dug 

 up the next fall or spring — (f prefer the spring, 

 as the roots do not grow during the winter, if sut 

 out iu the fall, and are liable to be killed by a se- 

 vere winter) — and set in beds prepared as follows : 

 Dig out the size of the beds nine inches deep — 

 cover the bottom three inches deep with rich marl, 

 (which has been my practice,) though I believe 

 that oyster shells half burned will be as good, as 

 it is intended as a lasting heating manure to pro- 

 tect the roots in winter, and force the vegetable 

 early in the spring: thSn put three inches deep of 

 coarse stable manure, then three inches of rich 

 earth. This brings the beds on a level with the 

 surface of the earth. Next lay off the beds in 

 rows eighteen by tw :lve inches apart, and put a 

 single eye or spire in each spot where the lines 

 intersect, and cover them three inches deep with 

 rich earth. Plank the sides of the beds, as this 

 prevents grass and other roots from running into 

 the beds, and also keeps the outside roots from 

 being exposed, by the sides of beds washing away. 

 The beds should be kept clean by hand weediug, 

 and all the earth and manure used in making 

 them, should be perfectly free from grass roots 

 and noxious weeds. In the fall of the year, after 

 the seeds have matured, cut the tops off close to 

 the beds, (being careful that not a single seed is 

 left to vegetate on the beds,) as they have already 

 as many roots as the space they occupy should 

 contain, and if additional roots are suffered to form 

 from year to year from the falling of the seed 

 every fall, the beds will soon be so much clustered 

 with roots that the vegetable must degenerate, at 

 least in size and length, as the new roots form 

 near, or on the siu-face. Some prevent this by 

 burning, but I think the best vvaj' is to pick them 

 off by hand, before the ball that contains the seed 

 breaks. You then top dress the beds with coarse 

 stable manure, let it lia on all winter, and in the 

 following spring rake off the coarsest part, and 

 fork in the remainder, being careful that the fork 

 does not touch the roots. Pursue this course two 

 falls, and early in the third spring, before the beds 

 are forked up, put on two inches of light well 

 rotted manure — fork it in with the stable manure, 

 then pur on from three to four inches deep of 

 clean sand from the river shore, and you will cut 

 in the month of April the best vegetable we have 

 in Virginia. I would not give my beds for the 

 balance of my garden. I think there is much in 

 the kind of seed. I obtained mine from New 

 York — they were marked "Giant Asparagus." 

 The cover of sand is important on several ac- 

 counts ; it being a great absorber of heat and 

 moisture, so soon us the vegetable gets through 

 the soil, it is hastily thrown through the sand to 

 the surface in a bleached tender state, and the 

 cutting from day to day is more uniformly of the 

 same tender delicious vegetable. The sand also 

 prevents grass from grooving on the beds, which 

 obviates the necessity of so much hand weeding 

 during the season for cutting, by which the beds 

 frequently become trampled, and the vegetable 

 that is about to come through the surface mashed 

 down, which not only destroys the spires that are 

 so trampled on by the gardener in the process of 



