304 THE CULTIVATOR. 
“ Can any study present to the agriculturist more attractions, than that 
which has lor its object the explanation of those effects, which every day cap¬ 
tivate his senses and astonish his reason? W ithout doubt, observation has 
made him acquainted with the uniform march of nature. Jn all her operations, 
he can judge of tlie modifications etlecied in her productions by the state of the 
atmosphere, the variation of climate and the nature o! the soil Even this 
practical knowledge enables him to direct many of the labors of the field. 
But, if he be permitted to ascend from effects to their causes ; if vve can de¬ 
termine, and demonstrate to lnm, the action which is exercised upon vegeta¬ 
tion by the air, water, heat and light, the sun, various kinds of manure, &c. 
&c. and assign to each of these agents the parts which it perlorms in these 
grand phenomena, how much will he be moved! liven while an ignorant 
witness of these wonders, he is lost in admiration of them ; but, more enlight¬ 
ened, he will f el this sentiment constantly increasing, as he rises to the cau¬ 
ses which produce them.” 
Count Chaptal presses upon the consideration of his government, 
the justice and policy of giving legislative aid to agriculture, by 
providing national schools of instruction, and by exciting emula¬ 
tion among cultivators by liberal premiums. His remarks upon 
this head are so just and forcible, that we shall transfer a portion 
of them to the columns of the Cultivator. 
“ But it is not sufficient to enlighten the agriculturist,” says he, “ in order 
to facilitate the progress of the art; ihe government has an important duty to 
perform towards it. It is only when intelligence and encouragement are unit¬ 
ed, that ihe former can be assured of lasting prosperity. 
“ Agriculture is the most fruitful source of the riches of a country, and of 
the welfare of ils inhabitants , and it is only as the stale of agriculture is more 
or less flourishing, that vve can judge unerringly of ihe happiness of a nation, 
or of the w isdom of its government. The prosperity w hich a country derives 
from the industry and skill of its artizaris, may be but a passing gleam ; that 
alone is durable, vvhie'i has its rise in a good cultivation of the soil. These 
facts ought to be constantly present to the mind of the government, and to in¬ 
fluence all its measures.” 
“ By encouraging improvements in agriculture, and favoring the increase of 
production, government enriches the agriculturist less than ils own revenues ; 
since by these means i lie quantity of taxable matter is increased, and tlie right 
of government recognized under all its forms, whether the article produced he 
employed in its crude state for domestic use, or whether it furnish the work¬ 
shops of the arlizan with ihe materials of his handicraft.” 
Again—“ It would be necessary that at least two experimental schools of ag¬ 
ricultural instruction should be established in France, one in the north and 
Ihe oilier in the south, in order to embrace all kinds and varieties of culture 
adapted to the climate. 
“ The extent of land devoted to each establishment should beabout 200 hec¬ 
tares [nearly 500 acres] and the buildings should be able to lodge at least one 
hundred pupils. 
“ i he nature of the soil must be sufficiently varied to admit of all the differ¬ 
ent kinds of culture adapted to the climate. 
“ There would be required in said establishment a director, entrusted with 
the care and management of it, and two professors, one of chemistry applied 
to agriculture, the other of veterinary medicine. 
“ The purchase of lands and the cost of I lie establishment might be estima¬ 
ted from a million to twelve hundred thousand francs, [18( ,UUU to 2110,0110 dol¬ 
lars for both] but the money paid for bo ard, and the products of cultivation, 
would at least cover all the annual expenses. 
“ It would be useful lo connect with each establishment a workshop, forthe 
manufacture of all implements of husbandry, perfected or newly invented, or 
employed in rurai opeialions. The profits of the workshop would form a con¬ 
siderable revenue for the establishment. 
“ The young people admitted into the establishment as boarders, should be 
employed in all agricultural labors ; they should ho instructed in the respon¬ 
sible management of an estate. 
“There should be annually a formal distribution of prizes to those pupils 
who have distinguished themselves by good conduct, and to those who have 
made the greatest progress. 
“ A royal ordinance should establish these principles, and the minister of 
the interior should make the rules necessary for securing their execution in 
every particular. 
“ I have no doubt that these establishments would produce, in a few years, 
the best effects upon French agriculture. 'The pupils w ho left these schools 
would diffuse every where inslrueiion and good meihods of cultivation, and 
the first of arts would no longer depend for preservation on a mere routine, 
w hich perpetuates error and prejudice. 
“ In establishing these two schools, the government will have fulfilled only- 
one part of its duty to agriculture ; it owes it roads and canals to facilitate the 
transports!ion of commodities ; it owes it a wise regulation of taxes, so that 
they may never represent a single part only of the benefit derived from agri¬ 
cultural operations; it owes it a kind and paternal administration ; it owes it 
assistance when accidental casualties or diseases have ravaged crops and de¬ 
stroyed cattle. 
“ And even in this, the government has not yet fiddled all its duties to ag- 
riclture, lo their full extent; it should excite eniulaion which, in the arts, 
works miracles, and should reward agriculturists who make important disco¬ 
veries; and those who improve and extend useful meihods of cultivation. 
“ These pecuniary encouragements should not be distributed at random, nor 
badly bestowed, lor they would then extinguish emulation instead of rousing 
it. 
“ A well selected jury should designate, every year, lo the authorities, 
those cultivators of the department who have deserved best of agriculture, 
and the distribution of prizes should be made in a public and solemn sitting. I 
“ The object of the examination of the jury should be to determine w ho are 
those agriculturists who have introduced upon their esiales animals more va¬ 
luable and more useful than those of the country, and those who have impro¬ 
ved the native breeds ; 
“ Those who have established the system of cropping most favorable to tlie 
soil. 
“ Those who have discovered modes of manuring and improving the soil, 
before unknown or not used ; 
“ Those who have planted the largest number of trees ; 
“ Those who have opened to culture lands hitherto barren ; 
“ Those who have introduced the cultivation of plants, the produce of which 
is more profitable than that of those usually raised ; 
“ those who have invented or improved agricultural implements; 
“ In a word, all lliose who should have rendered services in any department 
of agriculture, would be enlilled lo these rewards. 
“ 1 believe that prizes to the amount of ten or twelve thousand francs [1,- 
800 to 2,000 dollars,] annually distributed in each of the departments, would! 
he sufficient lo excite a happy emulation among agriculturists. 
“ The government should also reserve lo itself some places in the two prin¬ 
cipal schools of agriculture, and there place the children of the most distin¬ 
guished cultivators, to be maintained at its expense.” 
Then follows some excellent suggestions in regard to public 
roads, as channels for the transportation of agricultural produce to 
market; and he recommends that there be attached to each de¬ 
partment, a superintendent of bridges and highways, whose duties 
should be confined to whatever relates to the district roads. 
There are chapters of this work particularly adapted to house¬ 
hold affairs, for instance, on the preservation of animal and vege¬ 
table substances ; on milk and its products ; on the means of pre¬ 
paring ivliolesome drinks ; and on washing and bleaching. There 
is also a chapter, containing judicious and useful suggestions, on 
the construction of farm buildings, both for men and animals, and 
the means of making them healthy —also, one on the cultivation of 
woad, and the extraction of indigo from it; and another on the 
cultivation of the beet root, and the extraction of sugar from it. 
M. Chaptal, it is believed, went extensively into the culture of 
the two last named products; and he has furnished minute details, 
particularly in regard to the latter, from the sowing of the seed 
to the refining the sugar and the profitable disposition of the refuse 
products. No person should enter upon the manufacture of sugar 
from the beet without (he aid of this valuable manual. We will 
abstract a few facts from this treatise, as supplementary to the ar¬ 
ticle we published in our August number on this subject. 
On choice of soil .—Dry, calcareous and strong clays are bad, as are also 
grass lays. Beets do best in a loose, fertile soil, having a bed of vegetable 
mould of at least 12 or 15 inches in depth. Good soil will give 100,U()Ulbs. 
per hectare [equal to two acres, one rood, thirty-five perches English,] a poor 
soil from 10 to 20,000 lbs.—average say 40,000. Roots weighing from one to 
two pounds yield nearly double the sugar lo those weighing from 10 to 20 lbs. 
Preparation of soil. —Prepare it as for wheat, and bury the manure with the 
last ploughing, if this is applied, but it is unnecessary on rich ground. 
Harvesting. —The time of gathering is indicated by ihe larger leaves turning 
yellow. II left longer in the ground a portion of ihe sugar is converted into 
salt-pelre—if gathered sooner, they wither, wrinkle and grow soft. A good 
hint this for lliose who cultivate the root for culinary uses. Gardeners should 
treasure it up. 
Preserving the roots. —They should be kept at a temperature near the freez¬ 
ing point, as they lreeze one degree below, and grow a lew degrees above. 
Frost sofens and destroys their saccharine principle; heat develops the stocks 
ai the necks of the roots, and decomposes the juices which supply their growth. 
They should he thoroughly dried before they are housed. These too are va¬ 
luable hints to the gardener and housewife. For family uses they are best 
kept in a box or cask, mixed with dry earth, and placed in a cool cellar. 
Preparation of the roots. —They must be freed from the radicles, necks, dis¬ 
eased parts, and all dirt. Eight women ran prepare 10,000 lbs. in a day. 
Rasping —The rasps are sheet iron cylinders, 15 inches in length, and 24 
in diameter, having their surfaces furnished with 90 iron plates, armed with 
saw teeth, and fixed with screws—driven by horse or steam power. I’he beets 
are pressed against the rasp by means of a piece of wood held in the hand. 
With two rasps, (says M. Chaptal.) 1 have reduced 5000 pounds of beets to a 
pulp in two hours. The grater cider mill woul I do this admirably. 
The processes of manufacturing are too long to copy, and too 
important to abridge ; they should be studied in detail. 
Product in Sugar. —The product of 10,000 lbs. of trimmed beets 
is stated, 
In sugar of the first quality, (double refined loaf,).... 187 lbs. 
In sugar of the second quality,. 60 lbs. 
Total, .. 244 
In his general considerations, M. Chaptal remarks, “ From 12 
years experience I have learned, in the first place, that the sugar 
extracted from beets differs from that of the sugar cane, neither 
in colour, taste, or crystalization; and in the second place, that 
the manufacture of this kind of sugar can compete advantageously 
