188 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
probable that lie would have seen realized some of the brightest j 
hopes of his benificence and patriotism. Mr. Yates was a warm 
advocate for an agricultural school, as constituting a corner stone | 
—a sure foundation—for the intellectual and moral improvement of 
his countrymen. He was in a measure the father of the law of the 
last session for establishing a school of this kind ; and he had made 
an appointment, with a highly esteemed friend whose zeal in the 
matter has been paralysed by sickness, to make a summer tour 
through the more populous counties, with the view of explaining 
the objects and public advantages of the association, and of solicit¬ 
ing subscriptions to its stock. Satisfied himself of its highly benefi¬ 
cial tendencies, he was anxious to unfold the plan of the school to 
others, from the noble desire of enabling others to share in the high 
feelings of pleasure which ever flow from the exercise of a patriotic 
munificence. 
To make more generally known the elevated views which Mr. 
Yates held on the subject of this article, and to hold up his example 
for the imitation of others, we publish below a letter addressed by 
him to the conductor some twelve months ago, while laboring under 
indisposition, of which he was never after wholly free. 
“ Albany , January 16, 1835. 
« My dear sir,—I regret exceedingly to be so situated as to put 
it wholly out of my power to attend the annual meeting of the state 
agricultural society in February. I had hoped to have been present, 
and lent my aid to the revival of your project of a state agricultural 
school. I trust it will not be abandoned. Having for many years 
thought the establishment of schools, combining literary and scien¬ 
tific pursuits with mechanical, agricultural and other useful active 
physical employment, absolutely necessary to the hope of preserving 
our social institutions, I have looked with intense interest upon 
every effort to engage public attention in their favor. 
“ The fate of the petition of the society over which you preside, 
presented to the Legislature last winter, is evidence only of an unwil¬ 
lingness to examine this subject, and the probable beneficial effects 
of such a plan of instruction, with that attention its great impor¬ 
tance demands. 
« We must adopt a different system of operations. Let us unite 
and form combinations of individuals throughout the state. Every 
farmer, every mechanic, every laboring man, in truth every citizen, 
whatever may be his station in society, will soon see his interest in 
promoting the success of the project. To your thoughts this subject 
is familiar ; you have been zealously engaged in pressing its impor¬ 
tance upon public attention so long and with such ability, that I 
feel almost guilty of arrogance while making suggestions to you, in a 
formal manner, for future action upon it. You will pardon me, how¬ 
ever, for soliciting the earnest attention of the society to this subject 
again, at the meeting in February next. Every day of procrastina¬ 
tion I consider a day of injury to the vital interests of the communi¬ 
ty. That in a democratic country, a project so essentially affecting 
the permanence of its political institutions, and so immediately con¬ 
nected with the interests of all classes, should have been so long 
neglected, is of itself sufficiently surprising; but when connected with 
the fact, that experiments have been made in less favored countries, 
which have been eminently successful; that in this state the limited 
experience we have had has fully proved their efficacy ; that com¬ 
mittees of the legislature have always reported strongly in favor of 
a public experiment; and that the legislature has ever had assur¬ 
ance against hazard of pecuniary loss in the experiment; if public 
patronage should be given to it,—our surprise is transformed to 
poignant regret. When we are also informed that nothing further 
has been done, that private attempts have been suffered to languish, 
and ultimately fail, for the want of public countenance merely, the 
apathy is so astonishing, that we are almost irresistibly impelled to 
inquire into the cause. I do not intend to pursue such examination, 
however. It is sufficient that we know many difficulties must be 
encountered by further reliance for aid upon the legislature, to 
which private effort, however feeble it may be, is not subjected. A 
combination of individuals may present a power which will ensure 
success. 
“ Comparison between beneficent acts for public good—(I will not 
s ay benevolent, for unnecessary inquiry into motives never can be cor¬ 
rect)—is not always, and perhaps not often, happy ; but this subject, 
in religious, moral and political importance, is superior to any other, 
and may, if properly directed, be the foundation of improvement in 
all. I will not assert, that there are no classes opposed to such dif¬ 
fusive improvement. Unfortunately for the public welfare, we have 
both seen and felt such opposition too evidently to doubt its exis¬ 
tence, or its power to embarrass and defeat. It is not my pro¬ 
vince in this way to designate the source or character of the opposi¬ 
tion particularly. Though some covertly, and others openly oppose, 
yet I believe even that arises from mistaken opinions with regard 
to their real interests. 
“ I know of no class, order, profession or pursuit, in this country, 
whose permanent safety and prosperity are not interwoven with the most 
extensive possible diffusion of intellectual improvement, and the connex¬ 
ion of all useful employment in life with such improvement. 
“ There is nothing in the act incorporating the society, to pre¬ 
vent the establishment of county societies in connexion with it. 
Indeed, I think such a measure would be in accordance with its in¬ 
tention. With this view I would suggest the appointment of a com¬ 
mittee to visit as many of the counties as may be in their power, 
previous to the next annual meeting of the society, and in the organi¬ 
zation and establishment of as many agricultural, mechanical and 
laboring men’s associations as possible ;—take measures to concert 
with those societies the formation and founding of schools of the 
above description. That such committee be authorized to procure 
subscriptions to found one school, in such place as a majority of the 
members at the next meeting of the society may think most eligi¬ 
ble, for an experiment; and whenever they shall have procured sub¬ 
scriptions to the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars, they may 
request the president of the society to give notice for an extra meet¬ 
ing, if he should deem proper, previous to the next annual meet¬ 
ing. 
“ With great respect and esteem, I am your ob’t serv’t. 
“J. B. YATES.” 
J. Buel, Esq. President of the ) 
N. Y. State Agricultural Society, j 
BEET SUGAR. 
We recently received from an esteemed friend at Paris, a package 
ot French books and pamphlets, on agricultural subjects; and not 
understanding the French language, we handed them to some friends, 
with a request that they would translate whatever they might find 
in them of interest to the readers of the Cultivator. Dr. Spoor 
has just sent us a translation of one of the pamphlets, being a re¬ 
port made last summer to the Royal Central Agricultural Society of 
France, by a special committee, composed of the Baron Sylvestre, 
the Due Decazes, and other distinguished members, on the culture 
of the beet, and the manufacture of beet sugar, embracing direc¬ 
tions to individual farmers, and to small associations of farmers and 
others, for managing the whole of the manufacturing processes.— 
This is a very interesting document to the American reader, and 
particularly adapted to their present wants; as we have no doubt 
that the manufacture of beet sugar will become an important branch 
of our national industry, and that it will be profitably carried on as 
a rural and household business. We shall commence the publica¬ 
tion of this report in our next number. 
We copied into our December number, an article signed by W. 
W. Sleigh, calculated to dissuade our farmers from embarking in 
the manufacturing process. Mr. S. says, that “ an establishment 
will not clear expense, unless it be calculated to manufacture at 
least from two to five hundred pounds a day.” We doubt the correct¬ 
ness of this, when applied to a domestic or household concern, where 
we wish most to see the business prevail, though it may be true 
in reference to an establishment constituted for this purpose solely. 
There is a great difference in the economy of a business, whether it 
be carried on by hired labor, in an extensive establishment, or by 
the inmates of a family, at a season of leisure, without the charge 
of an expensive structure and costly utensils. Wherever manufac¬ 
tories may be established on a large scale, it will no doubt be for 
the mutual advantage of the farmer and manufacturer to exchange 
the beet for the sugar. But the beet will not bear to be transport¬ 
ed far; and hence in districts where there may not be a large manu¬ 
factory, we are anxious to provide for household manufacture.— 
Several instances are cited in the report before us, of rural esta¬ 
blishments producing some 150 lbs. of sugar per day. When strip¬ 
ped of mystification, the process of making beet sugar has little in 
it more difficult than the process of making maple sugar. It con¬ 
sists in extracting the juice of the beet, of purifying it, and boiling 
it down to a proper consistence to granulate. All the care and par¬ 
ticularity recommended in the making of beet sugar, might no doubt 
