60 



NEW ENGLAND FARIvIER, 



AVCrST 31. 1S3P. 



ANTICIPATED CHAXGH iN TflE AG! i.ULTl'RE 

 OF THEl'tJITED STATF.S. 



Some cnnsiilt'r.iMo time Ii;\s now passed since 

 we yii'lileil, slowly and wiih difiiculry, to the lie 

 lief, that llie introdnctimi of silk cnlliire in this 

 connti-y would he extiMided widely iiinl |)rofitai)ly : 

 and since adopting that opinion, we have made 

 eontinnally re-peatod efforts to impress on the peo- 

 ple of Vii-jiinia, ami the other southern states', the 

 superiority of their facilities — in better climate, 

 cheaper land, a id sin-phis aniljJhow less exfiensive 

 hands — for carrying on this new business, over 

 those of onr northern conntiymen, who have al- 

 ready proved the advanta^'cs to he derived, and 

 are investing large capitals in numerous adventures 

 for tills object, jn New Eiij^land, where most of 

 these efforts are makinjx, there is no superfluity of 

 labor. Fortunately, every poor fi-male, and a I 

 I persons infirin from either tender or ailva.ired 

 age, may be, and annually an-, employed profitably^ 

 according to their measure <if hudily power. Yet 

 siill it is considered protitable to divert much ol 

 this labor to the silk hnsiness : an.! thai tno, in a 

 climate so rigorous that arlificial heat mnvt be 

 •use<l frequent y in rearing the worms, and the 

 liest kinds of uudberric-s are often greatly injured 

 if not killed to the jromid, by such siavcre winters 

 •fls the l<-<st. Jn Virginia, there is no diftiriiliy as 

 <o climate — thousands now unemployed and ex- 

 pensive hands might be i iven to the work — and 

 Jands, now unprofitable or neglected, and at veiy 

 low I rices, would serve as well for phiiiiing, as 

 those selling ten or twenty times as high in New 

 England. I'littiiig nil vievvs of greater pecnniaiv 

 profits aside, if the silk culture cindd be establish 

 fill ill Virginia, without any absolute loss to the un- 

 dertakers, a great moral and political benelit wotdd 

 be gained, in giving the bread of independence ami 

 of lionest labor, to thousands of destitute female.*, 

 who liave now no resource but to live on the char- 

 ity of others, or to starve on their own ill-paid la- 

 bor of the needle. 



Another new kind of industry now seems like- 

 !y to be introduce,!, and established with prolit — 

 and which, in a dilVerent manner, oHirs great 

 benefit to the agriculture of a largo ; ortinn of the 

 Uiiiteil tjiates. Ibis is the making of sugar from 

 beets. We readi y ronfiss, that until very recent- 

 ly, we considered this scheme worthless, and ab- 

 surd in every coimtry that coulil freely inifiort su- 

 gar jJiddiiceil from the cane — and that this spe- 

 cies of industry, which could not be established 

 by the iron despotism of Napoleon, and the pro- 

 , tection afforded by his " coiiiimial system," could 

 uot exist in times of peace and of coinparativelv 

 free trade. JJut 've have been forced to yield the 

 opinion to such facts as are presented in tlio letter 

 i)f Professor Cooper, and other pieces in this No. 

 which are but speciiiiwns of v any that have re- 

 cently appeared, if, as seems to be ^undeniable, 

 beet sugar can he made cheaper than that of the 

 vane can be bought, there is an end of all question 

 «iid doubt as to profit. There is also an agricul- 

 tural bei.efit to be expected from the new culture 

 of beel.s, for sugar, that is very important, and that 

 is all additi u to all the pecuniary profit ex)iected 

 from the sale of sugar, ami the profits of live stock 

 ted on the pulp left after the saccbaiine matter 

 liBS I'een expressed. This is the introduction in 

 •inir farming of what is so greatly needed, an iii- 

 creaseil extent of culture of roots, or green ami 

 <neliorating crops, to take the p!a,-c of our too ex- 

 tensive gram culture. 'J'he cultnro of br:ets foe 



■aigar, and the use of the pulp as food lor cattle, 

 must ! ecessarily make the rotation of crops more 

 mi d, and aild greatly to the improvement of the 

 soil — and by this means, woiiil ultimately add 

 very far more .o the fertility and wealth of a 

 country, than as much grain culture, even ihougli 

 the I eciiniary profits to the fanner, at first, might 

 be no more. 'I he same im|ortant consideration 

 a; plies also, though in a different manner, to silk 

 ciiltur.?. '1 bus it may well ha; pen, that the in- 

 trodiictioti of these two nevv kimls of enltiire, even 

 though not attended with greater pecuniary proCts, 

 (or not much greater,) at first, woulil be produc- 

 tive ultimately of far greater to each individual 

 farmer, as well as of greater moral and political 

 benefits to the nation. 



1 his important consideration of the advantage 

 of beet culture to a rotation of crop.s, is properly 

 appreciated in France. 'I he latest French article 

 on the subject that we have seen is from the ^|eii 

 ofM.Soulange P.odin, and appeared in the .'?»- 

 nales Je VAgricnlture Francaise for A| ril, 1836. 

 We offer a translation of a passage on this he.iil. 

 "I he Viscount Morel de V'iiide, in these Me- 

 moirs, has then presented the sugar beet as being 

 the best, or rather the only kind of tilled jilants 

 wbicli, in the four-shift rotation can nsedilly be 

 snbstiliited for the year of naked fillow (to prepare 

 for wheat :) and he thus considers as connected 

 the universal peVfection ol" onr agricultnri-, with 

 the nianiifactnic itself of sugar from beets: a man- 

 ufacture wliieb, by its indefinite extension, and 

 demand continually renewed, ought to give great- 

 er encouragement to the culture of this plant, 

 which is susci'ptible of liaving, from this moment, 

 a general use, and a certain sa'e. Indeed he says, 

 the (making perfect the) four-shift rotation, consists 

 iti finding a plant that is not exhausting to the soil 

 — of whicli t!«e tillage is confined to one year, 

 and serves well to cleanse and to pulverize the 

 soil — and of wliich the products, not yielding a 

 kind of food for men before indigenou;;, or he- 

 longing to the cruntry, shall however he in gen- 

 eral use, and command certain and ready sale. 

 The beet, applied to the making of sugar, fulfils 

 perfectly the conditions of the prolrem." * * 

 " ;t may aiso be observed, that the plaiit which by 

 the j rodiiction of this sugar, renders possible Uie 

 universal improvement of agricii;ture, fiirnishes 

 besides, by its remains, (.is food) the best of all 

 manures froi.u cattle. This plant fulfils so com- 

 pletely all the conditions required (ioiTi tillage 

 crop.s, that it would be necessary to substitute it 

 lor the naked fal ows, even though it shou!(l not 

 yie!d otherwise (and at first) such rich or impor- 

 tant products." 



In the report of the Council of Agriculture, 

 Mannfetiires and Coinmerce, which was also 

 published in the Jln7iat(S, ifis stated by the Min- 

 ister T)f Coninicreo (presiding at the nietling) that 

 the maiiufactorii s of France in 1835, yielded "2.5 

 millions of kilogrammes of beet sugar, of the value 

 of 35 francs the quiiitnl, which is equal to one 

 third of the annual consumption of the kingdom; 

 that 50,000 hectares of land were then subjected 

 to the ciillure of the jdant ; and that in those parts 

 of France wliere the culture was established on a 

 large scale, the value of the lands had been in- 

 creaseil, and in many cases even had been ilou- 

 bied. 



Aocoriljng to the ]iresent im; erfect lights on this 

 suljeci, we fear that ti;e beet culture will not suit 

 a region .--o ssariii iji Eastsni Virginia, But its 



introduction will be a benefit sufficiently impor- 

 tant, even if confined to the regioiis lying more 

 nor h aiid west. It is pr ibable tluitthe fimalicistn 

 of the "aIio!i. ionists " may be mingled with the 

 motives ti lead this culture in the north — and 

 that one I'l tice results may be an etlort to le.'^scn 

 the cons, ii pi on of sugar from the cane, as being 

 the pmduit 111 -lave labor. Ke it so. 'J his fanat- 

 icism cannot exert any part of its tremendous 

 force more harmlessly to the south, or more ben- 

 eficially to the north, than in promoting the exten- 

 sion of this new culture — Far. Reg. 



FRUIT. 



Why are sotne fruits improved in sweetness by 

 drying or half withering on the trees? 



Because their watery jiarts thus exhale, and the 

 sug.ir is virtually increasptl in quantity. 



Why should grapes hang on the vine until they 

 are perfectly ripe ? 



Because unripe bunches never get any riper af- 

 ter they are gathere !. 



Why shou d grapes be eaten soon after they 

 are gathered ? 



Because unlike other fruits, grapes do not ini. 

 prave in flavor after gathering. 



Why should the crowns be removed from ripe 

 pine-apples ? 



Because, when suffered to remai!!, they live 

 upon the fruit till they have sucked out all thn 

 goodness. 



Why does an ajiple, when ti.t, first appear white 

 and after a time brownish ? 



Becau e a fermentation arises from the rest of 

 the fruit absorbing the oxygen of the atmosphere ; 

 the apple having previously been, by its tough 

 skin, protected from the contact of the air. — 

 Denovan. 



Why are certain apples called russetings ? 

 Because -of their russet or reddish brown color. 

 Why should raspberries be eaten from the bush? 

 Because their flavor is the most fleeting of all 

 fruit. Even a few hours will diminish it, and on 

 the bush the flavor does not continue above two 

 or tliiee days after the fruit is ripe. If kept for 

 two or three days when gathered the flavor is al- 

 most entirely gone. 



Why has the barberry been banished from the 

 hedgerows of England, where it formerly grew in 

 gnat abundance ? 



Because it was generally believed to be injuri- 

 ous to the growth of corn. 



'1 his belief has been treated as a vulgar preju- 

 dice ; but the fructification of the barberry is in- 

 comii'ete, unless the stamens be irritated by insects, 

 when the filaments suddenly confact towards the 

 germ. The flowers are therefore, by a heauliful 

 arrangement of natur*", peculiarly attractive to in- 

 sects ; and thus the barberry may b: come injiiri- 

 ous to neighboring | lants. 



Why are chesnnis best preserved through win- 

 ter iti sand ? 



Because, if there be any ninggots in the elics- 

 nuts, they will come out, and work up through 

 the sand to get air. 



Why is fern preferable to straw for the bed be- 

 tween the layers of fruit ? 



Because it does not impart the musty flavor 

 which is -0 often pitodueed by the straw. 



W liy are the autumnal fruits, as jdnms, pears, 

 &c. nim-e crude and indigesiible than those of 

 summer ? 



Because in pajt, of the state of the coiistitution. 



