50 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
The second communication details his in experiments 1794, and 
closes with further suggestions as to the habitats and best mode of 
cultivating the lucern, viz: 
«That it appears to be full as hardy as clover, but, like it, to de¬ 
light in a warm, dry soil, though it will flourish in a moist clay—sub¬ 
ject, however, to the same casualties in open winters, when both 
will be thrown out by the frost. 
That “ when very young, it requires a natural or artificial warmth 
in the soil, otherwise it languishes, and when the weeds and natu¬ 
ral grasses come up it is unable to contend with them. That it 
should be sown in a warm dry soil, in tolerable heartthat he 
should prefer for it, ground that had been manured and bore a pota¬ 
to crop the preceding year. That the seed may be sown the first of 
July. That if the crop becomes yellow, it should be immediately 
mown, and that it will come forth again free from disorder. That 
the time for cutting for soiling, is whenever it will fill the scythe— 
should be cut the first year, to destroy weeds. That it may be fed 
down by any kind of cattle with as much safety as clover, &c. He 
urges upon young farmers, not to be discouraged in its culture by 
older ones, who tell him they have tried it, and that it will not do; 
but to persevere, and they will succeed in rendering it profitable. 
We have had considerable experience in raisinglucern during the 
last sixteen years. Until recently we have found it a valuable crop ; 
—having been enabled to feed six or seven cattle upon an acre of it 
during the summer months. For two or three of the last years our 
efforts to cultivate it have been less successful, on account of the 
severity of our winters, which has destroyed many of the plants, and 
of the vexatious intrusion of other grasses, particularly of the spear- 
grass, ( Poa pretensis.) We think a potato or ruta baga crop, 
manured and kept clean, is the best crop to precede lucern; that it 
should not be sown before the middle of May; that there should be 
sixteen pounds of seed sown to the acre, and that if put in broad 
cast, winter rye, at the rate of. a peck to the acre, is the best grain 
to sow with the seed of the lucern. We design to make an experi¬ 
ment in cultivating it in drills, the mode generally adopted in France, 
and to keep the crop free from weeds and grass with the cultivator, 
for which Van Bergen’s machine is admirably adapted, by merely 
taking out the forward and central share, and dispensing with the 
wheel. 
PROFITS OF BEET CULTURE. 
We draw the following facts from a “Notice on the Beet Sugar,” 
by Mr. Church, of Northampton: 
That from eighteen to twenty tons of beets may be ordinarily 
grown upon the acre; and that twenty tons, on the supposition, and 
a reasonable one, that the roots yield eight per cent of sugar, will 
give 3,200 pounds sugar, and hence, that a given piece of land will 
yield more than twice the weight of sugar that it will of wheat. 
That sugar, of ordinary quality, may be furnished by the manu. 
facturer, at four or five cents per pound. 
That the consumption of sugar in France, before it was produced 
there from the beet root, averaged one pound per head per annum, 
and now averages three pounds per head ; that the consumption in 
Great Britain amounts to sixteen pounds per head ; and in Cuba to 
one hundred and twenty pounds per head, per annum. 
We see from these facts that the beet may be made more profita 
ble than the wheat culture;—for, if the roots are sold to the manu 
facturer, at eighteen cents per cwt. twenty tons, the assumed pro¬ 
duct of an acre, would bring $86. We also learn, that when the 
culture and manufacture are well established among us, indigenous 
sugar may be brought within the means of the most indigent, and 
sold cheaper than flour is sold at the present day. Sugar, is more 
nutritious than flour, and, when extensively used, will abridge very 
much the consumption of solid food, and be withal more healthy. 
FACTS WORTHY OF CONSIDERATION. 
Five millions of agriculturists in Great Britain furnish subsistence 
for her population of sixteen to eighteen millions of people. Great 
Britain imports but a small amount of provisions. 
Twelve millions of agriculturists in the United States do not fur¬ 
nish subsistence for a population of sixteen millions. We import 
bread stuffs, now, from almost every country of Europe. 
Whence this mighty difference ? It is not owing to the natural 
inferiority of our soil, nor to the inferiority of our laborers in physical 
strength and industry. In both these we claim to have the advan 
tage of the old continent;—but it is owing to the neglect of our le 
gislators and statesmen, to patronize and aid this great primary 
branch of labor—it is for want of that aid which government and 
science give there, and which they do not give here. There we see 
established schools of agriculture, boards of agriculture. Here we 
see neither. There agricultural science constitutes a branch of in¬ 
struction in the primary schools, and practical instruction is dispens¬ 
ed in those of higher grades. Here our schools do not afford instruc¬ 
tion in either the science or practice. There large sums are disburs¬ 
ed from the public treasury, to make agricultural surveys, to publish 
standard works on husbandry, and to call forth genius and skill, by 
liberal rewards and distinctions. Here government expends nothing 
for these objects. There agricultural improvement is promoted from 
state policy. Here it is neglected—-because it has no quid pro quo — 
nothing to offer to gratify the short-sighted cupidity of party. Our 
statesmen are so greedy for the sixpence that is close to their eye, 
that they do not see the dollar which beckons them from the dis¬ 
tance. The landed proprietors of Europe generally possess intelli¬ 
gence and influence, which they effectually exert, in combined ef¬ 
fort, to increase the products of their estates. Here the proprietors 
are too often uninformed and spiritless, having no concert, and tame¬ 
ly submitting to the miserable pittance which their public servants 
may find leisure or inclination to dole out to them. 
THIRTY YEARS AGO, 
What was the state of our manufactures and mechanic arts com¬ 
pared to what they are at the present day 7 What art has remained 
stationary 1 Manupilation has given way to machinery—science has 
shed her effulgent light upon processes which were before obscure, 
tedious and uncertain—and inventive genius, roused from its torpor 
by the spirit of improvement, has been actively at work, in perfect¬ 
ing the mechanic arts. Where is the man who, in any of these arts, 
follows, in his business, the practice of his father, that is successful 
in his calling 1 All is changed—all is improved. And how fares 
it with agriculture 7 This primitive art, too, has felt the impulse of 
improvement, though yet in a partial degree. Some portions of her 
labors have been blessed with an abundant increase, while other 
portions, practising on the model of “our fathers,'” remain at a fear¬ 
ful distance behind the age. In most parts of northern Europe im¬ 
provement has progressed, and is progressing. English husbandry 
has been greatly improved, and Scotch husbandry still more so. 
France is in the progress of rapid improvement in her agriculture; and 
the agricultural schools of Fellenbergh and Von Thaer are fast dif¬ 
fusing a knowledge of the science and of the best practices of hus¬ 
bandry over the wide-spread German empire. With us, while some 
districts, and many individuals, have made creditable advances in agri¬ 
cultural improvement, the mass of our farmers, we regret to say, are 
just where they were thirty years ago , apparently unconscious, that 
while they have remained stationary, the world about them has been 
continually advancing in intelligence and improvement. Much, has 
been done, and more remains to be done, to improve our farming; 
the spirit of inquiry and investigation is abroad; much useful intor- 
mation is being diffused in our agricultural journals, which are in¬ 
creasing in interest, in numbers and in circulation; and it is hoped 
that our legislators will ere long find leisure to turn their attention 
to this great interest, and assist to elevate it to the rank to which it 
belongs, as well in a political as in a pecuniary point of view. For 
agriculture, in reality, constitutes the foundation upon which the 
fabric of our social, moral and political institutions are based, and 
upon which they must ever depend for support and prosperity. 
School Libraries. —Massachusetts has passed a resolve, by a una¬ 
nimous vote in the lower house, that each school district in the 
state, shall raise thirty dollars the first year, and ten dollars annu¬ 
ally thereafter, to establish common school libraries. Massachu¬ 
setts seems determined that her school districts, like her sons, shall 
learn to take care of themselves, and that her laboring, wealth pro¬ 
ducing classes, shall be well instructed. She has the best schools, 
though she had no common school fund till 1834. 
Topping Com. —N. Weld has given us, in the Silk Culturist, a 
notable illustration of the loss farmers suffer in topping their corn. 
From accurate experiments he ascertained, that his crop was dimi¬ 
nished one-fifth when he topped the stalks at the usual time; or 
that the yield of grain on the topped corn was as 100, to 133| on the 
untopped corn. We still lack experiments to show the loss, if any, 
which results from cutting up the corn, at the usual time of topping. 
