THE CULTIVATOR. 
65 
it decay, and the harrow, by reducing the projecting angles of the fur¬ 
row-slice, readily produces a fine and deep tilth. 
STANDARD WEIGHT OF GRAIN. 
By a law passed at the last session of the Legislature, the standard 
weight of grain is as follows: 
Wheat, the bushel,.60 lbs. I Barley, the bushel,..... 48 lbs. 
Rye and corn, do,.56 “ | Oats, do. ..... 32 “ 
The Grape. —Dr. Hogg, a British traveller, speaking of the luxuriant 
growth of vegetables upon the older lavas at the base of Mount Etna, I 
says, “ The grapes are here universally cut down to within six inches of 
the ground, a mode of cultivation which accounts for the superior ex¬ 
cellence and strength of Sicilian wines.” 
Saxon Sheep. —E. C. Marsh, Esq. of Cayuga, an extensive wool grower 
and wool dealer, wishes us to record his testimony in favor of the ex¬ 
cellency of the Saxon Merinos. He states that he has 100 Saxons, 
which he has reared from ten ewes, from Mr. Grove’s flock; that they 
have had the same fare as his Spanish, or old fashioned Merinos; and 
that his Saxons are hardier and healthier than his Merinos. 
Summer Drinlc .—We repeat our recommendation to farmers, to try 
oat-meal and water as a summer drink, in the hay and harvest field. It 
as grateful, wholesome and nourishing, without a single bad property. 
Rut two or three table-spoonfuls of the meal into a three-pint pitcher, 
fill up the pitcher with water, let it stand fifteen minutes, and it is fit 
for use. N. B. “ When taken to be well shalcenJ' 1 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
ON THE MANUFACTURE OF BEET SUGAR IN THE U. S. 
Paris, April 15, 1836. 
My Dear Sir —A, long space of time has elapsed since my last com¬ 
munication to the State Agricultural Society. Meanwhile I have not 
had a moment out of mind the promise I made in it to resume the pen 
as soon as I should have something worthy of being recommended to 
their attention. It is long since I have been convinced of the vital im¬ 
portance for France of raising the beet root and manufacturing it into 
sugar. Some time after my last arrival in the United States, some of 
my friends wanted me to encourage it in America ; one of them, chiefly, 
who had seen my successful establishment at my estate in France, and 
who knew I had received from the French government the gold medal 
offered for the best making of the beet sugar ; but I could not recom¬ 
mend it for the United States, when I had witnessed how few had suc¬ 
ceeded in this country, even during the reign of Napoleon, when sugar 
was four times the price it is now. Indeed, after that time the work¬ 
ing of the beet sugar was entirely given up in Europe, except in 
France, where even I was almost the only one who would not give up 
so easily the hope of the great advantages that discovery was to offer 
one day or another, to a great part of the world. The benevolent mo¬ 
narch who succeeded the great emperor, was soon persuaded that there 
would be a great benefit for France in encouraging this new branch of 
agricultural industry. However, nothing more was found necessary 
to accomplish the object than a simple honorable reward for the most 
successful; for if the making of beet sugar was really useful, it would 
soon be proved by the benefits the manufacturers would make. The 
price of sugar had fallen more than one-half, and many persons who 
had invested great capitals in the undertaking, met with very serious 
losses. However, several continued, and new improvements were 
keeping pace with, and even overbalanced the disadvantages of the 
constant lowering in the price of sugar. But, sir, I could not give any 
encouragement in the United States to similar undertakings before the 
improvements in the manufacturing of beet sugar were made. I am 
persuaded that it would have been the cause of complete failure in the 
attempts made by any one till very lately, though it has given great 
profit to some great establishments in France for a few years past. 
This I will demonstrate when I enter into more detail. 
For the present moment, what I have said above will be sufficient to 
answer the double purpose of justifying my reserve upon this, so inte¬ 
resting subject, and deserving at the same time the confidence I wish 
to attain now, when I recommend the cultivation in the United States 
of the sugar beet, without any further hesitation, for the purpose of 
manufacturing it into sugar. I am convined that it will be a very ad¬ 
vantageous agricultural pursuit in all parts of the United States, and 
chiefly in the middle and northern states. The great difference in the 
price of labor between France and America, which in the account of 
profit and loss, has produced a balance against the United States in 
the contemplation of this operation, is now overbalanced by the new 
discoveries and improvements in the fabrication of the beet sugar. To 
them, add in favor of the United States, the cheapness of the soil for 
the cultivation of the beet, and of the fuel for manufacturing the sugar. 
Those advantages are to be found in all the new states, and some con- 
Vol. III. 9* 
siderable parts of Pennsylvania and New-York. There, also, they 
will have on their side, in uncommon abundance, the fine water powers, 
which more than anything else remedy the difference in the price of 
handwork between Europe and America. 
But, sir, while I was admiring here, in the splendid establishments 
of this new industry, their fine machinery and their improved chemi¬ 
cal processes, I was lamenting that the small proprietor or the farmer 
could not employ directly his produce by manufacturing himself. I am 
but just now perfectly satisfied that he can do it, and that with very 
inconsiderable expense, and without hiring any help ; but simply with 
that of his family. I will quote the particular instance of a farmer in 
the north of France, (near Valenciennes,) who has received a medal 
from the Royal and Central Agricultural Society, for having establish¬ 
ed on his farm one of the first small beet sugar manufactories, where 
he makes daily, without any assistance, but that of his family, 100 
pounds of sugar fit for family use without further preparation. The 
whole house room consecrated to that purpose, is a,room 16 feet squar'e, 
and a cabinet 10 feet by 12. Now, sir, you can undoubtedly appreci¬ 
ate at once all the advantages that a farmer can reap in cultivating and 
manufacturing the sugar beet. It will be greater yet for those who 
have, as in the north of Pennsylvania and New-York, the maple su¬ 
gar. The making of beet sugar may begin in October, and end com¬ 
monly in March; it is just at the moment when the maple sugar is 
more commonly made; so that the same implements will answer for 
both manufactures, and the farmer will have employ for his family 
during the months when they have most leisure. 
The Royal and Central Agricultural Society have just offered seve¬ 
ral handsome premiums, for whoever will communicate within this 
year the best methods for manufacturing the beet sugar on small farms. 
This has given me the idea of not waiting for my arrival in America, 
for recommending immediately the cultivation of the beet, so that ex¬ 
periments may be made this fall and winter, by employing some of 
the best systems discovered here, and such as the inventive genius of 
Americans will not fail to discover. Yours, &c. 
Hon. Jesse Boel. LE RAY DE CHAUMONT. 
P. S. I should have liked to add some notes upon silk and mulber¬ 
ries; but Mr. Tallmadge, with whom I am going to-morrow to see one 
of the largest establishments in France, will publish something upon 
the subject. If beet seed enough cannot be procured, a pretty large 
quantity will be found at Messrs, De Launay, Burgy 8c Co. in N. Y. 
SAXON SHEEP AS HARDY AS MERINO OR NATIVE SHEEP. 
Mr. Buel —Dear Sir—In your May number of the Cultivator, I find 
a piece over the signature of G. T. on the relative properties of the 
Merino and Saxon sheep, and believing as I do, the wool growing bu¬ 
siness of vast importance to those'districts fitted by nature for sheep, 
and having been for more than twenty years in the practice of keeping 
a small flock, and the different characteristics given of the two kinds 
varying so much from my own experience, that I feel called upon to 
state to the public, through your valuable paper, my knowledge of the 
two rival breeds. In the fall of 1815, I commenced with the Merino 
sheep, by the purchase of a full buck with native ewes, and run my 
flock up as fast as I could, with full bucks and a few full ewes, until 
1829, when I sent to the east, and received twenty-five Saxons of 
choice selection, and from that time till the present, have been push¬ 
ing into the pure Saxon as fast as possible for one with limited means. 
My flock is not now purely Saxon, but nearly so, consisting of 230. 
And, sir, from all I can discover, my present stock are as hardy as it 
has ever been; I have never housed nor grained any but lambs and 
some few invalids, except in the time of lambing, when my ewes are 
sheltered every night; and, sir, I raise as many lambs from my Sax¬ 
ons as any of my neighbors, in proportion to the number of ewes from 
Merino or native flocks. My present lot of wool brings more than any 
other in the county, and very nearly as heavy fleeces as my former lot 
of Merinos. I will now proceed to give you an account of the manner 
of wintering the past severe winter, with the present condition of my 
flock: the old ones, that is, all but lambs and a few old ewes, 160, 
were kept together in my yard without shelter, and with no other food 
than good fine hay, and free access to a trough of pure water; the 
hay well salted when put in the mow, and, sir, on the first day of 
April, numbered the same as in the fall, healthy and robust; and from 
about 100 ewes, have this day, May 11, rising seventy fine healthy 
lambs, and ten or fifteen more to bring lambs. And now, sir, if you 
think this worthy a place in your paper, you are at liberty to publish it. 
Yours respectfully, IRA NOBLE. 
Oxford, N. Y.May 11, 1836. 
UTILITY OF COUNTRY SAVINGS BANKS DEMONSTRATED. 
Mr. Bitel —Sir—In the Cultivator for May, I saw an article “ On 
the utility of Savings Banks in the Country” from W. W. J. Nothing 
would give me greater satisfaction, if I were capable of using lan¬ 
guage as “ able and influential” as W. W. J. than to write an article 
on that subject in answer, as I have had some experience in the care 
