60 
THE CULTIVATOR, 
dressing biennially, but they were never fed, as I have 
been long satisfied that it is difficult to have good 
meadow and pasture on the same land annually. 
From the accounts of the expenses, estimating the 
value of the land before it was improved, preparing 
the ground, including the walls, about four feet wide 
at the bottom, five and a half feet high, capped with 
fiat stones thirty inches wide, value of manure, seeds, 
cultivation, &c. the product netted more than twelve 
per cent per annum on the whole investment, the hay 
being mostly sold to inhabitants attached to the ma¬ 
nufactory. When we sold the premises in 1824, 
these meadows were considered equal, if not superior, 
to any in the county. 
Some other experiments I made, which perhaps I 
may hereafter communicate, should you judge this 
worth a place in the Cultivator. 
I was more successful in farming in Connecticut 
than I have been thus far in New-Jersey. 
I am, with much esteem, yours respectfully, 
D. L. DODGE. 
The Importance of Manufactures to Agriculture. 
There is probably no branch of science of more im¬ 
portance to a nation, than political economy, inas¬ 
much as “ the physical well-being of a community is 
an indispensable basis for every thing else. Without 
it all the rest is fearfully insecure.” The causes af¬ 
fecting the welfare and prosperity of a people, are as 
immutable as are those controlling the planetary sys¬ 
tem. We have, it is true, the power of violating the 
causes which contribute to the well-being of nations, 
but never with impunity ; for so sure as we are found 
transgressing them, so sure shall we be punished for 
our temerity. 
There are three sources of wealth, agriculture, ma¬ 
nufactures and commerce. Agriculture is the most 
important, as it employs a much greater amount of la¬ 
bor than both the others, and as it is the foundation on 
which the others are supported. Manufactures is the 
second greatest source of wealth, and commerce is 
the lowest on the scale ; yet on commercial enter¬ 
prise both the others are sustained and made profitable. 
Our farmers appear to be generally uninformed as 
to the causes affecting their prosperity. It may ap¬ 
pear presumptuous in an obscure individual, to pretend 
to superior knowledge on this subject, yet, if my po¬ 
sitions shall carry conviction to all who will attentive¬ 
ly consider them, I shall not have presented them in 
vain. 
The farmer makes his returns annually, and on the 
prices of his products his profits must depend. He 
can sustain himself under moderate profits ; but the 
prices at which he sells his products must be suffi¬ 
cient to sustain his family, and keep his tools and cat¬ 
tle in good order, or he sinks. To understand, there¬ 
fore, the causes affecting the prices of agricultural 
products, must be to him all-important. The object 
of this short essay is to make this clear to the com¬ 
monest understanding. 
We will suppose our country to contain three mil¬ 
lions of families; that two millions are employed in agri¬ 
culture, and one million in the other two branches of 
industry. It is not pretended that this division is sta¬ 
tistically correct, nor is it necessary it should be, as 
the reasoning from it will be found equally conclusive, 
whatever may be the relative proportions. We have 
then two millions of producers to one million of con¬ 
sumers. We will take it for granted also, that the two 
millions of producers can at all times furnish sufficient 
surplus products to supply all the wants of the one mil¬ 
lion of consumers ; and that this relative proportion of 
consumers to producers, is necessary to sustain agri¬ 
cultural products at remunerating prices. Now, it is 
self-evident, that we cannot change the relative pro¬ 
portion of consumers and producers, without causing 
a change in the price of agricultural products. If the 
proportion of consumers be increased, the price of pro¬ 
ducts will necessarily rise ; on the other hand, if the 
proportion of producers be increased, prices must as 
surely be lowered. 
We can now understand, why the agricultural pro¬ 
ducts of this country have been gradually increasing in 
value for the last five or six years. Our manufactures 
were in so flourishing a condition, that new ones were 
starting up in every direction, and our commerce had 
increased with equal rapidity. These extensions 
drew off from agriculture a portion of her producers, 
and greatly increased the proportion of consumers. 
Add to this, the tens of thousands that were employed 
on canals, rail-roads, public buildings, &c. and it will 
be easily estimated, that our consumers had increased 
until they were almost too great for the means of sup¬ 
ply, thereby increasing rapidly the prices of every ar¬ 
ticle of agricultural consumption. 
Within a year past a radical change has passed 
over the face of our country, and the result must ne¬ 
cessarily so lower the value of agricultural products, 
as to bring ruin home to thousands of our farmers. I 
wish I could predict better results, but as things are 
now progressing, I can see no opening by which our 
farmers can escape from more depressing prices than 
they have experienced since we have been an inde¬ 
pendent people. Manufactures and commerce are so 
prostrated, that hundreds of thousands of workmen 
have been driven from those employments, and are 
fast settling on land as farmers, or employed as work¬ 
men in tilling the soil. The producers will so out¬ 
number the consumers, that ruinous prices must ne¬ 
cessarily follow. 
It is not my province to show by what mismanage¬ 
ment this state of things has been produced. I wish 
merely to register the prediction, that our farmers 
will suffer severely in the end, and to show them, that 
manufactures and commerce can never be much de¬ 
pressed, without bringing ruin home to the agricultu¬ 
rist. They are usually the last to suffer from bad 
times, but their sufferings are generally more pro¬ 
tracted when they come. I see no remedy for the 
evil, so long as the majority of our citizens can be 
gulled into believing, that the vital interests of our 
country are mere foot-balls for designing demagogues 
to kick about at their pleasure. Sudden changes are 
as deleterious to the political system as they are to 
the physical, and our citizens will have to learn by 
sore experience, for nothing short of personal suffer¬ 
ing will open their eyes, that prating demagogues, 
however great their gift of gab, are totally incapable 
of wielding successfully the complicated affairs of a 
nation. 
Commerce wHl soon revive from the fatal blow that 
has prostrated it, but our manufactures cannot be so 
easily resuscitated. The whole civilized world is in¬ 
terested in sustaining our commerce, and great efforts 
will be made by the manufacturers and capitalists of 
Europe to supply this, their best market, with their 
manufactures and raw material. If our own mer¬ 
chants cannot sustain themselves, foreign agents, with 
foreign capital, will fill our marts of commerce, and 
the profits our merchants have heretofore made, will 
go into the pockets of foreigners, to add to their alrea¬ 
dy overgrown capital. The same foreign influence 
that will be employed to resuscitate our commerce, 
will be exerted to keep down our manufactures. It is 
the well known policy of Great Britain to prevent the 
manufactures of any other country from succeeding. 
It is her interest, and her policy and interest have ne¬ 
ver been opposed to each other. Our commercial 
cities are already crowded with foreign agents, and 
the late prostration of commerce will add greatly to 
their number. It is well known, that every foreign 
agent is openly opposed to our manufactures, and it is 
to be expected they will continue, as they always 
have done, to lend their whole force and interest to 
break them down. They consider that every article 
manufactured in America, prevents their selling just 
so much of English manufacture. 
The interest of our agriculturists is deeply involved 
in the question : shall our manufactures be prostrated 
to please foreign agents, and for the benefit of foreign 
capitalists, or not 1 The time has arrived when this 
question has to be decided by the voice of our citi¬ 
zens. Our marts of commerce may answer in the af¬ 
firmative ; our cotton planters, from every appear- 
annce, will lend their assistance to prostrate them; 
but what are the feelings of the farmers of the free 
states towards our factories ! ! will they support them, 
or will they look coolly on and permit them to be de¬ 
stroyed 1 W. P. 
Beet Sugar. 
In the introduction of new branches of industry, which 
promise to realize a large profit, we are prone to 
catch at every suggestion, however extravagant, which 
promises to administer to our cupidity; while those 
who are interested in deceiving us, take care to keep 
up the deception till their own turns have been served. 
These remarks have a particular reference to the silk 
and beet sugar business. The excitement in relation 
to both has been great—we think unreasonably so. 
The following criticism upon the letters of Mr. Glass, 
which are from a gentleman who spent the year 1836 
in France and Germany, and who professes to be fa¬ 
miliar with the process—the best process, of produc¬ 
ing beet sugar, cannot but have a salutary effect in 
correcting any extravagant notions which the letters 
of Mr. Glass may have produced. 
CRITICISM ON MR. GLASS’S LETTERS. 
Sir, —Having paid particular attention to the ma¬ 
nufacture of sugar from the beet in France, I think it 
proper to mention to the public some errors which ap¬ 
pear in the account of cost and profit, given by Mr. J. 
W. Glass, of Clapton, London, in his correspondence 
with Mr. Dey, of New-York, and by Mr. Dcy commu¬ 
nicated to you. 
The cost of manufacturing in France is stated to be 
just equal to the cost of materia], or rather that pro¬ 
portion of expense for manufacturing is set down as a 
very liberal allowance. Now in fact, the cost of ma¬ 
nufacturing on any French plan is twice as much as 
that of the material. Thus, adopting Mr. Glass’s es¬ 
timate of the value of aton of beets, viz. 15s. ($3.83,) 
it will result that the expense of converting the same 
into sugar will be, not 30s. ($6.66,) as he states, but 
45s. ($9.99.) 
Again: Mr. Glass says that the molasses of the 
beet is worth 2d. (1 cent and 8| mills,) per pound. 
The highest market price of the beet molasses in 
France is about 5 mills a pound, but the more com¬ 
mon price is only 2\ to 3 mills, or 2 to 3 cents a gal¬ 
lon. 
I do not mean to express any opinion of the merits 
of the new method of extracting the saccharine from 
beets, which is the subject of Mr. Glass’s correspon¬ 
dence. This would be rash in the absence of all in¬ 
formation touching the apparatus and processes by 
which this is effected. I merely wish to shew by the 
above examples of error, that the evidence which Mr. 
Glass gives to show the excellence and advantages of 
the new method, is not to be relied upon. It is one 
thing to make an array of figures, and it is another thing 
to have them based on facts, and on a diligent and 
faithful induction from facts. And here I may ob¬ 
serve, that no evidence of impartial, practical and sci¬ 
entific men is adduced, to show that any such advan¬ 
tageous result as Mr. Glass speaks of. In a matter of 
so much importance as an improvement for which the 
inventor demands half a million of dollars, we natural¬ 
ly expect other proof than mere assertion, either of 
the supposed inventor, or of those who recommend 
his improvement, or negotiate for the sale of his pa¬ 
tent. 
A new illustration of the remarkable looseness of 
the information may be perceived in Mr. Glass’s last 
letter, dated Dec. 8, 1837. Fie quotes the price of 
sugar in New-Orleans at 8| to 9 cents. That price 
is in fact only 4| to 6 cents. 
My object, sir, is not at all to prejudice the public 
against the alleged improvement; on the contrary, I 
would welcome it with pleasure. I only wish that the 
public may be on their guard against error or decep¬ 
tion in this matter, because I am persuaded, that no¬ 
thing will tend so much to retard the introduction of 
this new and interesting industry, as a hasty enter¬ 
tainment of unsound theories on the subject. Lately 
in France, a man of the name of Stolle, belonging to 
Strasburg, announced that he had discovered a me¬ 
thod, by which, in eight hours, good white crystallized 
sugar could be obtained from the beet. The news 
flew with rapidity over France, Germany, Great Bri¬ 
tain and the United States. If you look at the files 
of any paper for 1837, you will see the proof of what 
I say. But what was the amount of this affair 1- The 
pretended inventor was called upon to verify his 
pretensions in the presence of impartial persons. 
He appeared before them, and exhibited a quan¬ 
tity of liquor, which he called syrup of the beet 
root; he then retired, and when the time, which he 
had assigned for the operation, was expired, he reap¬ 
peared with a specimen of fine sugar, which he as¬ 
serted that he had made from the said liquor. This 
exploded Mr. Stolle’s pretensions, and he passed 
away. Such may not be the fate of this English dis¬ 
coverer ; I certainly hope that it may not, but for one 
I wait for proof. Yours, 
VIATOR. 
A Proposition, to facilitate agricultural improve¬ 
ment. 
Lake C. H. Ia. 4th March , 1838. 
J. Buel, —Dear Sir,— What can, what must, 
what SHALL we do, to elevate the standing of the 
cultivators of the soil! There is “something rotten 
in Denmark,” that needs all the energy of all the 
friends of agriculture, to eradicate from the communi¬ 
ty. A false pride pervades the land, and a false esti¬ 
mate is placed upon the value of that class of commu¬ 
nity, who are the very creators of, not only all wealth, 
but are the very basis and only foundation of all real 
wealth. What shall we do to bring about that happy 
state of society, that once pervaded the Roman em¬ 
pire, when he who cultivated the soil took the first 
rank among all trades and occupations 1 One of the 
very best things that the friends of this whole country 
can do, is to make the science of agriculture take that 
rank that shall induce merchants and professional men 
to seek to make their sons farmers, instead of that 
worst of all manias that now pervades the farming 
community, and which induces the annual ruin of 
thousands of young men, by seeking to be what na¬ 
ture never intended them for. 
“Willie is so weakly we must make a doctor of 
him.” “And John has such a faculty for trade, that 
his father intends to set him up. Besides you know, 
since he came home from school, hecan’t bear to go 
to work on the farm ; and you know it ’ant so genteel 
as a merchant.” These expressions and sentiments 
must be weeded out of every farmer’s family. And 
he who can devise how it shall be done, how to change 
the public sentiment, so as to make the farmer and 
