12 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[January, 
likely to be overstocked for a while. But if they 
are actually worth one-third as much per bushel 
as corn, we can afford to raise them largely. 
We think that, on the average, four bushels of 
carrots are produced as cheaply as one of corn. 
One question more. How many carrots per 
day can be profitably fed to a horse or milch 
cow with all the good hay that will be eaten'? 
■-"• * --- • - - 
Abuse of the Sugar Beet. 
A journal in a neighboring city informs us 
that for several years past, beets and mangel 
wurzels have been considerably cultivated in 
France for manufacturing brandy therefrom; 
and that this business is proving so profitable 
there, that many large establishments, once 
used as sugar factories, have been remodeled 
and converted into distilleries for making bran¬ 
dy from the same roots. Progress backward ! 
It tells us, also, that enterprising farmers in 
England are looking into this matter, and in¬ 
quiring whether they also may not be able to 
make a penny or two out of the same business. 
And, as a sort of poultice for tender consciences, 
we are told that the pulp of these roots, after 
the juice has been extracted, may be used as food 
for stock, and for the manufacture of paper. 
In some parts of Great Britain, where high 
manuring has been practiced, forty tons per acre 
of these roots have been raised, but from twen¬ 
ty five to thirty tuns is a large yield. And, 
without going into the details of the calculation, 
it is estimated that from $400 to $600 per acre 
of proof-spirit can be realized. After this we 
are to add the value of the pulp for cattle- 
feed and for paper-making, at $50 a tun. 
It is only a necessary part of this story to add, 
that some American farmers and business-men 
have turned their thoughts in the same direc¬ 
tion. But we question whether any thing good 
and profitable can come out of the business in 
Yankee land. Excellent sugar has been made 
for many years in France from the sugar-beet 
root. Several years ago, many attempts to man¬ 
ufacture it in this country—in New-Jersey and 
Pennsyl vania particularly—were only partially 
successful: the syrup would not granulate well. 
This arose, doubtless, from the lack of saccha¬ 
rine matter in the beet roo's. It is doubtful, 
therefore, whether Americ an beets will make 
good brandy, at least, so as to be profitable to 
the manufacturer. Certainly, as long as Indian 
corn can be raised for from 30 to 50 cents a 
bushel, it will hardly pay to trouble ourselves 
with growing beets for sugar or brandy. 
But even if the business could be made profit¬ 
able, we should discourage it from moral consid¬ 
erations. “Ah! Mr. Editor, allow us to make 
alcohol for use in the arts: to this, certainly, 
you can’t object ?” The old apology for carry¬ 
ing on the distillery business everywhere. Very 
likely, a part of the alcohol may be used in the 
arts, but a large part will go into rum, gin, bran¬ 
dy, and the like, to ruin our neighbors, and per¬ 
haps our children. Tlfese evil arts we can only 
endure, but not recommend, by word or deed. 
Large Turnip Yield. 
The Tngersoll Chronicle, C. W., records the 
results obtained by twenty one cultivators, in 
competition for two prizes of $20 and $10, of¬ 
fered by Dr. Connor, for the best acre of turnips. 
The lowest yield was 664 bushels, and Ihc high¬ 
est, 1,420 bushels per acre. The latter amount 
was raised by John Reid. The soil was a clay 
loam, previously cultivated with peas. The 
land was plowed, and twenty loads of manure 
applied in the Fall. Before sowing, the cultiva¬ 
tor was used once, and the roller twice. The 
seed was drilled in 24 inches apart on the 10th 
of June. The turnips averaged 5 lbs. and 2 oz. 
each in weight. Mr. William Agur, of the same 
township took the second premium for a yield 
of 1,256 bushels per acre, the turnips averaging 
4 lbs. and 3 ozs. each. His manner of cultivation 
differed little from that of Mr. Reid, the differ¬ 
ence in yield being mainly in the size of the 
turnips, which averaged about a pound less. 
Pampas Grass. 
The Pampas Grass (Gynarum aryenteum), so 
called from its native home, the Pampas, or 
prairies of Brazil, South America, has been in¬ 
troduced into England, where it flourishes well. 
From the Magazine of Horticulture, we learn 
that Messrs. Ilovey & Co., have tried it in their 
grounds near Boston, but it does not prove 
hardy so far north. They subsequently placed 
some roots in a large tub which received the 
protection of a green-house during Winter. It 
was placed in the open air last Spring, where it 
made a vigorous growth, forming a splendid 
tuft of long, slender, rusli-like leaves, gracefully 
drooping to the ground. It began to throw up 
its strong reed-like stems, during the latter part 
of August, from which sprang flower spikes 
that reached eight feet in hight, and terminated 
in feathery flowers lifleen inches long, of a light 
or silvery color. In its native plains it reaches 
the hight of twelve to fifteen feet, so that a per¬ 
son riding through it on horseback is complete¬ 
ly hidden, and a secure shelter is afforded for the 
wild animals of that region. It will be prized 
as an ornamental plant chiefly. At the South 
it can doubtless be grown out of doors, but with 
us it will be safest to lift it in the Fall, and take 
to a dry cellar or green-house. When growing, 
it requires a warm aspect, light and rich soil, 
and plenty of water. It is readily propagated 
by division of the roots. 
—--»* - —»•«»-- - - 
For the American Agriculturist. 
A Lady’s Experience with Poultry. 
Three years ago I moved into the country, 
filled with dreams of industry, early rising, and 
above all, fowl raising. I think my predeces¬ 
sor was also imbued with a like idea, for I found 
ample and well contrived accommodation for 
the slender stock of poultry whose existence I 
had contrived to prolong in a limited backyard, 
in the close built town I had quitted; and whose 
numbers and capacity for laying, I now pro¬ 
posed to myself to wonderfully augment. 
As Winter came on, I kept my hens shut up 
on every cold day; which I have proved to be 
necessary, if you wish them to lay well. The 
most abundant feed will only keep vitality in 
their chilly bodies, if they must stand shivering 
under the cutting winds of mid-winter. True, 
they will often go out of their own accord, if 
the door is left open, but they do it only from 
habit, as instead of hunting for food, they hud¬ 
dle in the most sheltered places near their house. 
The liens once warmly quartered, how can 
they be fed cheap])' so as to average one egg 
daily, in all the 365, and still be kept fat ? 
Profound question, whereon agricultural jour¬ 
nals have uttered wisdom from all time! The 
first winter of my experience, a marvelous recipe 
stared from every newspaper—impossible, it 
said, to fail of the above results. It was an in¬ 
genious conception. First you were to take a 
pail of boiling water, endue it with a certain 
quantity of bran, roast potatoes hot from the 
oven; then rake out a shovelful of^ hot coals, 
and lastly add egg shells, brimstone, and salt. 
Diabolical, slightly, yet morning after morning, 
I patiently decocted this infernal broth. It would 
have drawn tears from any ordinary grindstone^ 
to have beheld the hapless fowls shifting their 
legs and peering their eyes sadly toward it— 
weighing, it would appear, the choice of going 
hungry or scalding their crops with the seeth¬ 
ing mess. I imagined their steady laying solely 
attributable to my perseverance, yet the next 
winter, when abated enthusiasm led mo to adopt 
a simpler method, I could perceive no falling off 
at all. Hence, I infer, fowls will lay on any¬ 
thing eatable, only so they have enough of it. 
I commenced my first Spring with about twen¬ 
ty five fowls, both cocks and hens, and by Fall 
had increased my stock to ninety, beside hav- 
i n rr killed a dozen or so during the Summer. I 
have gone on since with proportional success, 
I have eegs in greater or less numbers, accord¬ 
ing to the season, all the year round. It is ex¬ 
pensive work, I have found, to starve a. hen ; 
therefore they arc fed plenty of corn, wheat 
screenings and whatever odds and ends are con¬ 
venient, which they will eat, occasionally in¬ 
cluding bran mixed with warm water. They 
are exceedingly fond of fresh meat chopped fine, 
which also stimulates them to lay. 
For persons living in the country and having 
no constant social occupation, it'.is possible for a 
