46 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
later, eight gallons will do the same. One gallon of syrup, 
boiled to the point of granulation—that is, when on 
taking a small portion (as warm as it can be borne) be¬ 
tween the thumb and fore finger, it can be drawn into a 
thread an inch and a half long—is equivalent to ten 
pounds of brown sugar for any of the purposes for 
which that article is commonly used. Stalks from which 
the ears have been pulled in their embryo state, will af¬ 
ford one-fourth more syrup than those on which the ears 
have been permitted to arrive at their full growth. 
Large stalks are preferable to small ones, as it takes 
nearly as much time to strip and prepare for the mill the 
latter as the former. 
The same difficulties have been experienced in regard 
to speedy granulation, as heretofore. It is evident that 
superabundant mucilage in the juice, retards the granula¬ 
tion of the syrup, but it is hoped more mature experience 
will remove this and all other obstacles to complete 
success. It is satisfactorily ascertained that if the syrup 
is properly made and placed in shallow vessels, in a mo¬ 
derately warm situation, it will granulate, if sufficient 
time be allowed it for that purpose. Last season a 
small portion was set aside, and five months elapsed be¬ 
fore the chrystalization was completed, leaving, how¬ 
ever, at last, little or no molasses. Mr. D. has several 
parcels which until August last have been slowly under¬ 
going this process, some of which, he observes, are 
ready for drawing, and that doubtless the whole will be 
completed in a few weeks. 
Mr. Deaderick thinks it all important that the juice be 
pressed out and set to boiling as speedily as possible af¬ 
ter the stalks are cut; not more than two or three hours 
should elapse before this is done, for if the stalks are 
permitted to lie, or the juice to stand longer than the 
time mentioned, fermentation will commence and infal¬ 
libly injure the quality of the molasses. As soon as a 
sufficient quantity of juice is received from the mill, it 
should be allowed to stand for a few minutes for the 
coarser particles to settle, and then be strained through a 
eoarse cloth, and a table-spoon full and a half of clear 
lime-water added to each gallon of juice, and then 
poured into the kettle and carefully watched and skim¬ 
med during the whole process of boiling. Care must 
be taken that the iron vessels used are entirely free from 
rust. 
Mr. D. states that the molasses thus produced has been 
pronounced over and again, by persons who have par¬ 
taken of it, superior to the imported article; all, without 
exception, were fond of it, whilst among them were se¬ 
veral who reject the use of cane molasses altogether. 
Mr. Deaderick thinks the manufacture of corn-stalk 
sugar and molasses, is susceptible of being made a mat¬ 
ter of the greatest importance—that which has been ac¬ 
complished by a few, can be done by every farmer in 
the State—and that “ it is as absurd and unnecessary for a 
farmer to purchase his sugar and molasses as it would be 
to import his soft soap, candles, or any other article of 
ordinary domestic production.” 
HOT BEDS. 
Those who intend raising early vegetables, either for 
domestic use or for market, had better make some pre¬ 
parations for the business, this month. Cabbages, toma¬ 
toes, cucumbers, egg-plants, &e., may be had three or 
four weeks earlier, if started in a hot bed in early spring, 
and put out after the weather has become steadily warm. 
In making a hot-bed, mark out the ground the size of 
the frame to be used, and make an excavation to the 
depth of a foot, or if the ground is quite dry, eighteen 
inches; put in good horse manure to the thickness of 
two feet, and put on the frame and glasses. When the 
heat is sufficiently raised, put on six or eight inches of 
good mould; that made from clean grass-sods which 
been piled and become entirely rotted the year be¬ 
fore, finest; and when this is warmed to the proper de¬ 
gree, which can easily be told by applying the hand to 
it, plant a v seeds. Care should be taken that there is 
not too mil?. , at, especially when the sun shines. If 
there is too raise the glasses; and always let in 
•s much air as cable with keeping up the requisite 
degree of heat. Hot-bed plants require a great deal of 
water, which should be supplied from a watering-pot. 
If the weather should be so cold as to render it necessary, 
the bed should be protected by mats and straw. 
Permanent hot-bed frames may be made of bricks. A 
false bottom is laid two or three feet from the ground, 
made of cast-iron, or iron bars, laid so closely together 
as to answer the purpose, on which is placed the earth 
for the plants. A door is left at one end of the brick¬ 
work, under the floor, to throw in manure, and another 
door at the opposite end, for taking the manure out. 
Thus a constant and regular supply of heat may be con¬ 
veniently kept up, by only putting in fresh manure as the 
decomposition proceeds. 
MODEL AND EXPERIMENTAL FARM. 
Several newspapers have suggested that the Smith¬ 
sonian bequest, which, together with the interest up to 
the present time, it is said amounts to six hundred and 
ninety thousand dollars, should be appropriated to the es¬ 
tablishment of a Model Farm. It appears that a bill 
was introduced by Senator Tappan, of Ohio, towards the 
close of the last session of Congress, for the purpose of 
effecting this object, and we are informed that petitions 
are now in circulation in various parts of the country for 
the passage of that bill. 
The design of the benevolent donor, Mr. Smithson, in 
making this bequest, was the founding of an institution at 
Washington, for the “ increase and diffusion of know¬ 
ledge among men.” One cause of the delay of our gov¬ 
ernment in acting on this matter, has undoubtedly been 
the difficulty of fixing on a plan of an institution by 
which the original design of the donor might in the best 
manner be carried out. The*very general terms in which 
that design is expressed, seem to admit of considerable 
latitude in the choice of a plan. The particular kind of 
“ knowledge” which it was especially designed to <c in¬ 
crease” and u diffuse,” is not mentioned. It may, how¬ 
ever, he safely claimed that the bestowmentof the great¬ 
est good on the human family, was the grand aim and in¬ 
tent of Mr. Smithson in this disposition of his property. 
And how, we ask, can this philanthropic and praise-wor¬ 
thy object be better accomplished, than by the endow¬ 
ment of an institution for the “ increase and diffusion of 
knowledge” in relation to that art which constitutes the 
very foundation of national independence, and individual 
support ? 
We have not been so fortunate as to meet with a copy 
of Mr. Tappan’s bill, but we understand that the propo¬ 
sed Model Farm is to consist of <s ten acres of ground in 
the vicinity of the Capitol,” the general direction and 
management to be vested in twelve citizens appointed by 
Congress. Students to be instructed in the institution 
gratuitously, &c. The trial of plants, and the distribu¬ 
tion of such fruits, seeds and vegetables as shall be found 
useful and adapted to the various sections of the country, 
to be among the leading objects of the institution, while 
other means of usefulness will undoubtedly be improved. 
It strikes us that the quantity of land, ten acres, is less 
than would be expedient, having in view all the objects 
to which such an institution should be devoted. It should 
be remembered that there are many important questions 
which it is desirable to settle by practical tests. In addi¬ 
tion to the trial of plants, it is importaut to decide the 
relative value of manures, and their particular operation, 
in promoting the growth of plants on various soils, and 
under different circumstances as to heat, moisture, &c.— 
the comparative expense of production and the value of 
different crops for feeding animals, whether for slaughter, 
for the dairy, or for labor. Careful and long-continued 
experiments are requisite, and should be carried on for 
the purpose of deciding these points. The most careful 
trials should also be made to ascertain as far as practica¬ 
ble, the comparative advantages of different breeds of do¬ 
mestic animals for special purposes, and their relative 
adaptation to different modes of feeding, &c. A sufficient 
quantity of land for successfully prosecuting all these and 
other necessary experiments, it seems to us should be se¬ 
cured in the outset; especially when it is considered that 
from the cheapness of land within a convenient distance 
