412 



NEW ENGLAND F A R Al E R 



JULY C. 1830. 



BEET ROOT SITGAR, 



Altlioiigli we have repeatedly invited the atten- 

 tion of our readers to the si'lijecl, and have pre- 

 sented fects enougli to show that the manufacture 

 may be advantageously |)rosecuted in this vicini- 

 ty, we take pleasure in inviting their further at- 

 tention to the following corninunieation. — Bost. 

 Pat. 



RoxBURT, June 15, 1836. 

 The Hon. Thomas L. Winthrop, 



President of the Mass. Agricultural Society : 



Sir — Mr Isnard put into my liands a few days 

 since a memoir " On Indigenous Sugar and the 

 Actual Situation of that industry in France, &o. 

 &c." It was published in the early part of this 

 year in Paris, by Mr De Dombasle- That gen- 

 tleman was for many years concerned in a large 

 establishment, for the tnanufacture of Beet Sugar, 

 but he is now the Superintendent of the National 

 Experimental Farm, which is a highly valuable 

 appendage to the Royal Agricultural Society. He 

 has long been well known, as one of the ablest 

 writers, and most intelligent experimentalists, on 

 rural affairs, of modern times ; being equally as 

 conspicuous for his practical illustrations, as for 

 his great scientific attainments, in whatever relates 

 to the advancement of the useful arts, and the til- 

 lage of his country. 



I have made several extracts from his very in- 

 teresting and instructive work, with the view of 

 presenting, in a succinct manner, the progress 

 which has been made, and is now making in Eu- 

 rope, in this important branch of industry. 



It appears, that the manufacture of sugar, from 

 the beet, was first attempted in Silesia, by Mr 

 Achard, in the early part of the present century, 

 but was soon abandoned. In 1810 successful ex- 

 periments were made in France, by Mr Andre 

 and Isnard, which having been made known to 

 the Emperor Napoleon, under the auspices of 

 the radiant and mighty genius of Chaptal, he is- 

 sued an imperial decree, for encouraging the man- 

 ufacture, on a large scale, and establishments were 

 coiimienced at the village of Pont-a-Mousson in 

 Loraine, in ISll and 1812. It is not a little re. 

 markable that the first was erected under the su- 

 perintendence of Mr Isnard, and is still in full 

 and successful operation, after a suspension of a 

 year or two. 



Mr De Donjbasle observes, "The industry, a! 

 though so powerfully favored by the imperial gov 

 ernment, seemed to expire with it ; and it was 

 not until 1820, that but very few people believed 

 the manufacture of sugar from the beet, was any- 

 thing more than a ridiculous attempt to achieve 

 whit was impracticable, and hau been induced 

 by the long and rigorous continental blockade, 

 which had enhanced the price of sugar to 90 cts. 

 per pound. Still the sparks of this industry were 

 preserved in France ; it has maintained its posi- 

 tion amid moderate duties, which were imposed on 

 foreign sugar, for the mere purpose of revenue. 

 So that, in truth, it may be said, that it has pros- 

 pered, not oidy without the aid of the govern- 

 ment, but in spite of it ; for nothing is more re- 

 markable than the disdainful manner in which it 

 was treated, until 1830, by the national adminis- 

 tration. It appeared that the Bourbons could no^ 

 forget the stigma of its imperial origin. At last 

 the government has been compelled to notice its 

 existence : for it lias become so important, from 

 the great results which have been produced, that 



it can no longer be disregarded. From the ten to 

 twenty millions of poimds of sugar, which were 

 brought into market, some five or six years since, 

 the quantity which will be made this year, will 

 amount to 60,000,000 of pounds." 



" To judge properly of the importance of an in- 

 dustry, which has for its end the creation of a 

 product, which has hitherto been furnished by 

 our colonies, — to appreciate the degree of encour- 

 agement, which it merits, on the part of those 

 puldic men, whose province it is, to watch over 

 the prosperity of their country, and to hasten the 

 increase of national wealth, it is necessary to 

 glance at the situation, in which France is now 

 placed, with respect to leer colonies. The |)res- 

 ent generation are the observers of a most grave 

 and important s|)ectacle. It is that presented by 

 the fall of the gigantic Golonial edifice, which the 

 Europeans had reared in the new world. The 

 English colonies of North America commenced 

 the march of this grand trans-atlantic revolution ; 

 and France, herself, by aiding them in their sep- 

 aration from the mother country, laid the axe at 

 the base of the colonial structure; for it was easy 

 to foresee, that as soon as a single one ofthe Amer- 

 ican nations, broke the fragile bonds, which placed 

 a whole country under the dependence of a govern- 

 ment, situated in another hemisphere, all the moral 

 power of the colonial system was annihilated ; and 

 the Independence of all the other colonies would 

 soon be the inevitable consequence." 



"The enfranchisement of all the people on the 

 American continent has now been consummat- 

 ed. Can it be seriously believed, that a few isl- 

 anils, situated in the vicinity of that continent, 

 will long remain dependent upon the people of 

 Europe. In the slave colonies, a very evident 

 cause has tended to retain the people as de- 

 pendent upon the parent country. There no rev- 

 olution was possible in favor ofthe whites, and if 

 any occurred it must be like that of .'^t. Domingo. 

 The colonists, therefore, dare not attempt any en- 

 franchisement, in favor of themselves, in the West 

 Indies, for their only reliance against a servile re- 

 volt and war, was on the parent .ctiuntry. But 

 now the parent country has commenced the abo- 

 lition of slavery, in those colonies, and it is very 

 certain, that the emancipation of the blacks, strikes 

 a fatal blow to the cultivation of sugar, and will 

 ultimately extinguish it. This is a truth, which 

 no one can doubt ; and it is highly probable, that 

 if no accidental cause strips us of our West India 

 colonics, we si. all soon be obliged to forego their 

 products of sugar, for it cannot be reasonably be- 

 lieved that France can long inaintain slavery in 

 her colonies, when the blacks are emancipated in 

 the neighboring English Islands. 



" It is under these circumstances, that Provi- 

 dence has offered us the means of replacing the 

 richest jiroduct of our colonies, by a vegetable of 

 our own country, and which at the same time in", 

 troduces into our agriculture a jilant, which favors 

 its progress in an eminent degrece, as it forms a 

 most productive elemejit for fattening cattle, and 

 em-iching the land." 



Mr De Douibasle, is of opinion, that in the 

 British government, there was a profound princi- 

 ple of political economy concealed, under the a|)- 

 parent spirit of philanthropy, which sanctioned 

 the abolition of slavery in the West Indies. '1 hat 

 it had in view, the ultimate monopoly of the sugar 

 trade of the world, as her East India colonies 

 could supply the entire demand of Euroi)e at 



hast; and her policy has ever been to favor her 

 vast oriental possessions, at the expense, and pl- 

 timate destruction ofthe West India planters. 



Mr Isnard has submitted to my examination, 

 some preliminary observations and calculations, 

 on the establishment of a beet root sugar manu- 

 factory in this state. • He has given the details of 

 the expense and estimated net income, on a given 

 capital, by which it appears that from 25 to 75 

 per cent, may be realized. I hope, some of our 

 enterprising capitalists will be induced, to under- 

 take the experiment, for that it must ultimately be- 

 come one of our great branches of industry, scarce- 

 ly admits of a doubt. 



1 do not know any subject so worthy of the 

 consideration of the Massachusetts Agricultural 

 Society, as this new culture." It will render our 

 climate independent of the tropics, and introduce 

 a great and valuable staple for our farmers, which 

 has been much required, to elevate them to the 

 level of other moro naturally favored ])ortions of 

 the Union. We have no distinctive crop, to 

 which our land owners can direct their attention 

 as a constant and certain source of )irofit. Even 

 Indian corn is not always to be relied upon, and 

 our soil is not generally congenial to wheat. We 

 are too far North to enter into the lucrative cul- 

 ture of tobacco and cotton, and are compelled to 

 confine our labors to the rearing of an infinite va- 

 riety of small articles, or to grazing. Butter, 

 cheese, pork and beef are our chief products, 

 which are raised at a vast expense, for our win- 

 ters require such immense fields to fiu-nish hay 

 for thestock during that long protracted and rig- 

 orous season, that the farmer is precluded from 

 acquiring a fortune, which he so deservedly mer- 

 its, from his arduous and patient industry, and for 

 which all the other classes of society are emulous- 

 ly striving, and which they can, more certainly 

 attain. By labor without end, it is true, the far- 

 mer can live comfortably, but seldom is it, that he 

 reaches a more happy condition. This is to be 

 lamented. In other States the owners of land are 

 io the high road to affluence, and why should not 

 a mighty effort be made to ameliorate the condi- 

 tion of the virtuous, hardy and intelligent hus- 

 bandmen of New England. 



The quantity of flour and cereal grains — at 

 wheat, corn, rye, barley, and oats, annually im- 

 ported from the middle, southern and western 

 states is enormous, and is a sufficient commenta- 

 ry on our soil and climate, for the culture even 

 of bread sruff, and we export, of agricultural pro- 

 ducts, but little. This discouraging asjiect of 

 our agriculture, has induced hundreds of thou- 

 sands of our active and vigorous young men, to 

 emigrate to other sections of the United States, 

 where the soil and climate are less adverse to the 

 hopes of the farmer. But if the culture of the 

 sugar beet is successfully introduced, the ultimate 

 benefits which will result, may be anticipated, 

 from what has been accomplished in France, 

 within the brief period of fifteen years. I confi- 

 dently believe, that the culture of silk and the 

 sugar beet will effect such a salutary change, in 

 the condition of the farmers, that they will pre- 

 sent as much prosperity, independence of circum- 

 stances, and affluence, as the cultivators of the 

 earth in any portion ofthe globe. 



Germany, Prussia, and Russia, have recently en- 

 tered, with zeal into this favored branch of rural 

 economy, and even England, where there ha», 

 hitherto, been such an indifference to the subject, 



