162 



NEW ENGLAND FAR:MER. 



April 



For the New England Farmer. 



THE MAJSrUFACTUKE OF BBANDY AND 

 SUGAR FBOM BEETS. 



Mr. Editor : — Some Uvo years ago, you pub- 

 lished an article of mine in the Farmer, on this 

 subject, Avliich drew out considerable inquiry from 

 difl'erent sections of the country ; and as the war, 

 and consequently the new tariff" bill, will enhance 

 the price of these articles considerably, I beg leave 

 again to trouble you with a few additional remarks 

 on the same important subject. 



It is a well known fact, that in France and oth- 

 er parts of Europe, the distillation of brandy and 

 the manufacture of sugar from beets has been pros- 

 ecuted on a large scale for many years ; and that 

 the profits to the distillers, especially, have been 

 enormous ; and that many large fortunes have 

 been made, in an incredibly short time, by those 

 embarked in that branch of business, as the sta- 

 tistics of France do testify. Now when we learn 

 from our own statistics what an immense sum is 

 annually paid by this country to France, for beet 

 brandy, of a very inferior quality, those farmers 

 experienced in the cidtivation of that root are of- 

 ten led to Avondcr why we cannot manufacture our 

 own brandy, and by so doing create a demand for 

 om- produce, by keeping that large amount of 

 money at home. 



That wonder is still increased when we find that 

 under proper cultivation we can produce fully one- 

 third more of the raw material, per acre, in many 

 portions of New England, than they can do in the 

 most favored provinces of Europe, and of decid- 

 edly better quality. Three bushels of beets raised 

 in the vicinity of Boston will produce as much 

 saccharine juice as five bushels raised in the vi- 

 cinity of Paris. 



This may appear somewhat paradoxical to the 

 casual observer, but the matter has been tested 

 by actual experiments, and beet-growers of France 

 admit the fact, as can be seen in some of their ag- 

 ricultural reports. Such is the peculiar adapta- 

 tion of much of the soil of this State — at least to 

 the production of beets — that it is justly said to 

 be the only crop that the farmer can raise that has 

 no hidden or secret enemies to contend with. 

 Neither maggot nor mildew, nor any of the end- 

 less varieties of insects that infest and often de- 

 sti'oy other crops, has as yet interfered with the 

 beet in the smallest degree. Thus it would ap- 

 pear that the cultivation of beets in this country 

 can be entered upon with some sort of certainty 

 as to the final results ; whereas most other crops 

 are liable to numerous contingencies even in the 

 most favored portions of this frugal land. See- 

 ing, therefore, that such is the case, and that the 

 present unfortunate Avar may make it both diifi- 

 cult and expensive to obtain these articles ffom 

 aljroad, we ought to manufocture them at home, 

 in order to be as independent of foreign aid as 

 possible. The first Napoleon, as a measure of 

 necessity, as well as good policy, introduced the 

 manufacture of sugar from beets many years ago 

 into France ; and up to the present time, that 

 great nation has supplied itself with the very best 

 quality of that article for domestic consumption, 

 and could have had a large surplus for export had 

 not some foolish legislative enactment of the gov- 

 ernment retarded its progress. The amount of 

 revenue that France derives from the exportation 



of beet brandy to different parts of the world is 

 too well known to the intelligent statistical reader 

 to require any comment in this article ; and the 

 people of the United States ought to learn wis- 

 dom from such a source. 



Farmers are often heard to complain for want 

 of a market for their produce, and yet pay away 

 their hard-earned money to foreign countries for 

 what ought to be, and easily can be, raised on their 

 OM'U farms. Judging from the signs of the times, 

 however, at no very remote period, we may, like 

 Napoleon the First, of France, be compelled, by 

 stern necessity to manufacture our own sugar, 

 or go without sweetening. Beets can be raised 

 profitably by our farmers at eight dollars per ton, 

 and two tons make thirty-two gallons of double 

 distilled brandy of far superior quaHty to what is 

 generally to be found in most of the fashionable 

 hotels and drinking establishments in our large 

 cities. Now let those acquainted with the price of 

 foreign liquors calculate the prospective profit, 

 seeing the expense of the raw material and manu- 

 facture is inconsiderable. From ten to twelve 

 bushels of the proper variety of beets, one hundred 

 weight of the best quality of sugar can be pro- 

 duced ; and any one acquainted with the simple 

 process of making maple sugar can do it, and the 

 utensils required can be got at small cost. Hav- 

 ing had practical experience in the manufacture 

 of both articles from childhood, (I may say,) I can 

 state with confidence that fortunes can be made 

 from this branch of business, could people of ade- 

 quate capital be induced to take hold of it. Were 

 it not for encroaching too much on the space of 

 your valuable paper, I should have said much 

 more on the subject, but you may hear from me 

 again. Thomas Cruickshank. 



Beverly Farms, Feb. 12, 1862. 



Remarks. — Our correspondent states above, 

 that "from ten to twelve bushels of the proper va- 

 riety of beets, one liundred iceiglit of the best 

 quality of sugar can be obtained." This result 

 is so much more favorable than we had supposed 

 it could be, that it led us to look at some books 

 at hand. In the "New American Encyclopedia," 

 it is stated, that "five tons of clean roots produce 

 about four and a half hundred weight of coarse 

 sugar, which gives about IGO pounds of double- 

 refined sugar and 60 pounds of inferior lump su- 

 gar ; the rest is molasses, from which spirits of 

 good quality are distilled." 



For the New England Farmer. 

 WOOL-GHO\yiNG IlyT VEHMONT. 



At a meeting of the Directors of the Vermont 

 State Agricultural Society held at Bellows Falls, 

 Feb. 12th, the Hon. H. Henry Baxter having 

 declined the office of President, on motion of 

 the Hon. J. W. Colburn, the Hon. Edwin Ham- 

 mond, of ]\Iiddlebury, was unanimously elected 

 President for the ensuing year. 



The following preamble and resolutions were 

 adopted : 



Whereas, harmony and concert of action among 

 wool-growers, is as important as among members 

 of other occupations ; and whereas, great losses 



