The daily gazette., 1877-11-08
LETTER FROM MR. TOWNSEND.
BRET SUGAR ExPRRiAfENr. 2il8

For the Delaware Gazettee. h3icFLbpa 9d
Mr.. Editori--There was quite aniex. |
citement last winter, rs you will fecoll |
lect, about sugar beets. The legislature
was asked to make an appropriation TO
test the matter-whether or not it would
be profitable in Delaware to raise sugar
beets to make sugar. The legislature
finally, in the last Of February, believe,
made an appropriation Of three. or five
hundred dollars and appointed three
commissioners-on from each county Of
the State. These commissioners DELAYED
meeting until about the first of April
and afler, believe, making an appropri-
alton Of either twenty-five or fifty dol
lars to each Of themselves, and although
numbers of people were anxious to t,ist
the sugar beet matter, these three COM
missloners published a notice, saying il
was then too late to make the experiment
this year, that the ground must be pre-
pared the year before; and old fogy like
gava English authority for it as though
that cloudy, rainy island of England,
that can hardly ripen wheat, aud great
quantities rot in the shock, was pat
tern for sun-shiney America to follow.
then published an article In the DeIa-
mare Gazette and stated that these sugar
beet commissioners proposed to lose one
year. For although they had wasted one
month of time after their appointment
and the passage Of the appropriation,
there was then still time enough lett to
try the experiment of growing sugar
beets and the making of sugar. Then
the public was excited on the subject
and expected these commissioners would
have the matter tested this year, 1877. 1
stated that had no favorable opinion of
the business; that | did not believe it,
would pay; that bad grown sugar beets
nearly forty years ago; that at that time
the sugar beet and multicaulis mania
passed over the country-both humbugs,
sugar and silk raising. But in my arti-
Gle of last spring, in the Gazette, said
there was plenty of time to raise sugar
beels' this year-1S77-to make the ex-
| pertinent with. And to prove what 1 as
serted, two or three weeks after these
commissioners gave out that it was too
late to grow beets for an experiment this
year, went to a store and bought one
paper of sugar beet seed of the "White
French Sugar Beet' variety, as it stated
on the label. ], had one row, twelve feet
long, prepared, and sowed the seed OH
that day, the 24th OF April, 1877, and
had them pulled up and washed ON the
9Th day of November, 1871 thinned
them out to six inches apart, leaving and
growing twenty-four beets which weigh
ed thirty-two and a half pounds, or an
average of one and a third pounds each,
and as there is 1850 square feet in an
acre, and each beef. six Inches apart, il
the, rows should be two feet apartg il
would give just one, square foot to, ieact
beet and as each Beet averaged one an(
third pounds IL would give So, ,0S0 lbs.
or twenty mine tons of two THOUSAND
pounds each 70 an acrei and if, there via
five per, cent. sugar it would make twl
Thousand and nine hundred pounds o
sugar, which, at ten cents per pound
would bring Two hundred and hineti
dollars, Then If one-half was given TO
manufacturing the sugar it would leav
the grower one hundred and forty-fiy
|, dollars for all his trouble and expense
} and if the sugar was put at eight cents !
would be two hundred and thirty-tw
dollars; and if half was given for manu-
, featuring it would leave one hundre
: and sixteen dollars. But suppose in
large culture there was not an average o
more than one-half Of twenty-nine tons
the farmer or grower would only hav
from tifty-eight TO seventy-two aud a hal
dollars per acre for all his labor, time
manure and everything. suppose tina
tobacco, with the same labor, manur
and attention, would pay three times a
4 IAs
spring and now. have poor opinio
. of the beet root sugar business, but
asserted that there was Time enough
grow beets this year for an experiment
and l have proven it, as | have grow
them at the rate of twenty-nine tons
the acre and have this day forwarde
: what have raised to Mr.. Lea Pusey,
+ wilmington, Del, to do what he please
, with them. SAMUEL TOWNSEND.
, Townsend, November 3, 1877.