116 



SILK MANUAL, AND 



MASSACHUSETTS AG ICXILTURAIi SOCIETY. 



Report on the Manit/acture of Beet Root Sugar. 

 — The Committee of the Massachusetts Agricul- 

 tural Society, to whom was referred sundry papors, 

 estimates, and documents, kindly furnished by Mr 

 Isnard, Consul of France, wlierewith it is propos- 

 ed to the Society, as a matter of utility, to engage 

 in a project, or undertaking, for the manufacture 

 of Beet Sugar, after a careful perusal of the same, 

 by which they have been much gratified, are con- 

 strained to report, that it would not be expedient 

 for the Society so to do. For which they assign 

 the following reasons. First, tiie Society have not 

 the means to embark a capital to the extent of 

 $50,000, however promising it might be, nor 

 would it be consistent with its rules of action, to 

 enter into any copartneishi|» or participation of 

 profits of such a nature — this project holding out 

 advantages more suited indeed for private enter- 

 prise, and to which the Committ'e would be grat- 

 ified to see attention turned. Secondly, the ad- 

 vantages contemplated by the founders of the So- 

 ciety, and those who have contiibuted to its means, 

 have been and still are, to give encouragement to 

 a great variety of objects, constituting the produc- 

 tion of the soil, both animal and vegetable — the 

 effecting an improvement of the various Imple- 

 ments of Agriculture, the exciting, and rewarding, 

 skill in manufactures, more particularly those of 

 Domestic or Household ludustry, and tlie various 

 kindred arts. The Committee are of the opinion 

 fiirther, that great advantages would be derived, 

 if the means to aid all these objects w(M"e to a great- 

 er extent. It must be obvious, that any such di- 

 version of so large an amount to a j)articular ob- 

 ject of culture, would be deemed [)artial, and might 

 prove injurious to the general objects of the Soci- 

 ety. Thirdly, the Committee, in reasoning on the 

 subject, have rather avoided speaking of the want 

 of authority to effect any such engagement, which 

 alone, in the opinion of the same, would preclude 

 the appropriation of such capital. The Committee 

 are not insensible of the im[)ortance of this manu- 

 facture, as carried on in Europe, and in course of 

 experiment in some parts of the United Slates, al- 

 though they have some doubts whether the culture 

 would not be better maintained in some other 

 parts of our country. Yet that an inducement 

 might be had, to a fair and speedy trial, the Com- 

 mittee reconnncnd, that a premium of one hun- 

 dred dollars, each year, be offered for the greatest 

 quantity of Beets, raised on at least two acres of 

 ground, and fnanufactured into Sugar in the years 

 1837, 1838, an.! 1839. The person raising the 

 same, and having them manufactured, giving a 

 full and particular account of the process for pub- 

 lication. All of which is submitted. 



By order of the Committee, 



JOHN WELLES, Cliairman. 



TANNING. 



A few years since we alluded in general terms 

 to a new mode of tanning, lately invented by Dr 

 E. S. Bell and Mr DanielBell, of Virginia. From 

 one of the Patentees, now in this place, we have 

 been informed that the system has been well re- 

 ceived, and the leather has well sustained the test 

 of use. Some have supposed that this operation 

 is effected by the use of heat, acid steam, &c. ; 

 this, however we are assured is not true, the lead- 

 ing principle being to free the liide from all foreign 

 substances, as grease, &c., together with the weak- 

 ened liquor from which the tannin has been ab- 

 sorbed, and thus leave the hide free to receive a 

 fresh charge of the tanning principle, which being 

 unobstructed in its operation by grease or other 

 foreign substance, is left free to act immediately 

 upon the gelatine of the hide ; and very soon the 

 tannin having combined with the hide, the weak- 

 ened liquor may be again made to give way to a 

 fresh change of stronger. The o])eration of free- 

 ing the hide from these foreign and detrimental 

 substances, is effected by mechanical pressure, by 

 means of rollers passing over the hides when 

 drawn from the vats and laid upon platforms 

 adapted for the purpose. In order to effect this 

 compression conveniently the vats and platform 

 are so arranged as to enable the workmen to pass 

 them through, the operation with great facility and 

 ease. In order too, that the ooze may act as 

 freely as possib'e, the hides are suspended in the 

 vats, which adds likewise to the convenience of 

 passing them successfully under the roller. 



While the steaming and heating process which 

 had been heretofore proposed, and in some instan- 

 ces reduced to practice, injures the leather, by 

 cooking it so as to make it harsh and unfit for 

 use, we can see nothing in the above calculated to 

 produce that effect; and we are assured that the 

 process differs from all that can now be found in 

 the patent office or in practice. We learn also, 

 that a more perfect union, appears to take place 

 between the material of the hide and the tanr.in, 

 than under the old metiiod, which has been 

 proved by submitting the action of chemical 

 agents. The time necessary for tiie perfect tan- 

 ning of a hide varies from two to eight weeks, as 

 has been proved by repeated experinient ; it is 

 then at the oistion of the tanner to permit it to lie 

 longer or to finish it immediately for sale. 



We have not attempted to detail the plan of 

 these gentlemen, or even to allude to many parts 

 of their process ; we only desire to call the atten- 

 tion of tanners and others interested, to the fact 

 that good leather may be made by a much shorter 

 process than some have thought practicable ; and 

 to impress the distinction between tanning by ' 

 steam and the mode here propose^. We know 

 there is a mountain of prejudice against inn.ova- 



