FARMERS' REGISTER— SUGAR FROM BEETS, &c. 



507 



EFFECT OF GYPSUai ANIJ CLOVER ON THE 

 SUCCEEDING CROP OF CORN. 



Caroline, Va. 



Being desirous of knowing- accurately Uic diffe- 

 rence in the product of the ensuing crop of corn 

 upon a clover lay which had had a half bushel of 

 plaster each year for two years preceding, at the 

 usual time for sowing it, and that which had been 

 clovered and not plastered, I had an acre of corn 

 cut off from each and measured, and the result 

 was upwards of five barrels of shelled corn from 

 that acre on which clover and plaster were used, 

 and on the other only rather more than three bar- 

 rels. That the quantity of vegetable matter was 

 increased at least 200 per cent, by the half bushel 

 of plaster, over that upon which none had been 

 used, was the opinion of every person whosavfithe 

 experiment. — \_^dmericaii Farmer. 



SUGAR FROM BEETS. 



[The following article may be interesting to some cf 

 our readers ; but we have not the shghtest belief that 

 this manufacture, which the despotic decrees of Napo- 

 leon could not firmly establish in Fiance, can grow up 

 in this country, even with the aid which it would now 

 derive from our heavy and unjust protecting duties.] 



From Goodsell's Genesee Farmer. 



We have long been desirous of laying this sub- 

 ject before our readers, in a more tangible shape 

 than we have hithertc been able to do; and since 

 the publication of" our last article on the subject, a 

 gentleman has called upon us, who has been en- 

 gaged in the construction of machinery lor the 

 manufacturing of sugar from beets, both in Eng- 

 land and France, and is acquainted with the differ- 

 ent operations, from the grinding of the roots to 

 the finishing of refined sugar. 



As soon as the weather will permit, the gentle- 

 man proposes manufacturing some sugar from the 

 beets grown in this country, and will leave a sam- 

 ple at our otfice for inspection. 



He has made the following estimate upon the 

 cost of manufacturing in this country, but as he 

 has lately arrived, and is but partially acquainted 

 with our mode of cultivation, or produce of our 

 lands, he does not pretend to V.e as accurate in 

 those points which refer to rent, labor, and fuel, as 

 those better acquainted with all those local circum- 

 stances might be ; but as these points vary at dif- 

 ferent places, it will be easy for those who feel an 

 interest to correct any such inaccuracy according 

 to their location. 



Mr. Goodsell : 



Sir, — Seeing in your valuable paper an article 

 on the manufacture of sugar from beet roots, and 

 being desirous to. engage in that business, I beg 

 leave to call the attention of your readers to so im- 

 portant a subject. 



In order to bring this subject fairly before them, 

 it will be necessary to go into detail, in order to 

 convince them of the profit attending this branch 

 of industry, for which purpose I have calculations 

 of the several costs attending it, as well as my 

 short acquaintance witli the country would allow 

 me to do, and also of the produce and value there- 

 of, In my calculations as to the quantity of beets 



which may be produced in this country per acre, 

 I have been governed partly by the quantity pro- 

 duced in other countries, as in England and 

 France, and partly by information collected from 

 the most authentic sources, smce my arrival in 

 this country. 



In making these calculations, I have fixed upon 

 the quantity of one acre as being more convenient 

 than any number of pounds or bushels, and as the 

 produce of lands, as well as the costs of manufac- 

 turing, will be different in different parts of the 

 United States, my calculation cannot be expected 

 to be mathematically correct for every location. 



In order to put this in the most simple form, I 

 will first consider the expense of cultivating one 

 acre, the quantity of beets which an acre will pro- 

 duce, and the cost of manufacturing them into su- 

 gar, and the probable quantity of sugar which will 

 be produced; after which we will estimate the 

 worth of the article in. this market, and the differ- 

 ence of the two sums will show the profits or loss 

 attending the cultivator and manufacturer of the 

 article. 



The rent of one acre of lasid, - - $4,00 

 Preparing the same for the crop, - ■ 3,00 

 Cost of seed and planting the same, - 3,00 

 Hoeing and thinning the crop, - - 5,00 

 Taking up and carting the roots, - 5,00 



Total cost of cultivation, - - $20,00 



The next thing to be considered, is the quanti- 

 ty which an acre of good land is capable of pro- 

 ducing. 



In England and France, I have seen crops that 

 would produce twelve hundred bushels per acre, 

 allowing fifty six pounds to the bushel. In this 

 country I should calculate that nearly the same 

 quantity migb.t be raised, as in England or France, 

 but not wishing to overrate, I will allow the pro- 

 duce to be six hundred bushels per acre, or thirty 

 three thousand six hundred pounds. The cost of 

 manufacturing will vary according to circumstan- 

 ces, as horse team or water power are made useof, 

 and that of concentrating the juice must he gov- 

 erned by the price of fuel ; but for the cost of 

 grinding, concentrating the juice, chemical agents, 

 &c. I think will not exceed forty dollars, including 

 labor, &c. 



The produce of sugar will vary according to the 

 quality of the mots, from four to five percent. In 

 some instances I have kno^vn it to be as low as 

 three per cent, but I think an average produce 

 fi-om the roots, may be put at about four and an 

 half per cent, of sugar. The product of an acre 

 allowing six hundred bushels per acre, would at 

 that be fifteen hundred and twelve pounds. 



The quality of sugar })roduced from beets cor- 

 responds with what is known in this market as 

 white Havanna, and is capable of being brought 

 to finest refined sugar. The price per hundred 

 may safely be put at ten dollars, making the pro- 

 duce of an acre equal to one hundred and fifty dol- 

 lars and twenty cents. 



There will be left after manufacturing about one 

 hundred and fifty bushels of pulp, which is con- 

 sidered of the same value as brewer's grain or bran, 

 and is excellent for all the uses to which those are 

 apj)lied for feeding animals. This at four cents 

 would produce six dollars. 



