■490 On the Culture of the Beet 



poor !n other parts, that render the feparation of the fugar difficult, as to be employed for 

 making fugar with extraordinary profit. On this account, I give to fuch econoinifts as 

 may cultivate the runkelriibes for that purpofe the v/ell-meant advice, to befto*v themoft 

 careful attention on its culture, and to follow the method pointed out in this treatife ; becaufc 

 they would otherwife be greatly difappointed by obtaining a fweet mucilage of a bad tafte 

 inftead of cryftals of fugar. I ground this aflertion on my own experiments, as well as thofe 

 of others acquainted with this fubje£t. And for this reafon, the proper culture of the run- 

 kelrlibe may be confidered as the bafis of its ufeful application in the profitable manufa£lure 

 of European fugar ; fince from roots of this kirtd whofe faccharine matter has not been 

 greatly increafed by proper cultivation, no fugar can be obtained to advantage. Sugar may, 

 indeed, be prepared from roots cultivated in a different manner from mine ; but not with 

 profit, though the lofs may prove variable. This fabrication of fugar would thus continue, 

 what it has long been, a fubjedl: of fcientific refearch ; in the fame manner, as the preparation 

 of fugar from green-peas, cabbage-leaves, melons, and many fruits, is, even now, and will 

 probably remain, an object of fuch inquiries. * 



25. The aflertions here deduced from experience will eafily admit of a theoretical expla- 

 nation. And, in particular, according to the theory given by the worthy Counfellor of the 

 mines, Hombolt, in his Aphorifms, which is founded on the moft diligent obfervations, and a 

 well-ftudied phyfiology of plants : this learned man proves that the feparation of oxygen 

 from plants is prevented by the abfence of the matter of light. But oxygen is neceflary to 

 the formation of any acid, and the formation of acid is required to the production of faccha- 

 rine matter. From this it is evident, that the influence of the matter of light, as a means of 

 feparating the oxygen, is, and mufl be, inj urious to the formation of faccharine matter in fu- 

 perabundance. On the other hand, it follows from the fame principle, that the oxygen re- 

 tained in larger quantities in the root by all poflible exclufion of the matter of light, muft, of 

 courfe, contribute towards increafing the faccharine matter *. 



26. This application of the runkelrlibe to the making of fugar in the large way, with va- 

 riations in the produds, according to its different culture, has already been perfedly confirmed 

 by the experiments which I am now making, under the infpedlion of the royal committee. 

 Of the runkelriibes from Magdeburg and Halberftadt, only thofe have yielded fugar which 

 (i.) were of a fmall fize, and confequently had grown clofe to one another; (2.) thofe 

 had not large, rounded heads, but whofe heads were buried under ground, and had been 

 thoroughly covered with earth ; (3.) thofe which had flat heads, and, therefore, from which 

 the leaves had not been taken ofF; and (4.) thofe that poflefled a conical or fpindle fliape ; 



■ * A contradiction feems to prevail in this place ; as the matter of light rather promotes the increafe of 

 Jaccbarine matter in the fruits of trees. — The reafon of this muft be fought for in the diifcrent organic ilruc* 

 ture of ail the parts of plants, and in the confequent elaboration of their conftituent parts ; which, of courfe, 

 muft be different in the ejcutent fruits from that of the roots and their germs. Hence, the prefence or abfence 

 of the matter of light muft exert a different influence on the various parts of plants — namely, roots, leaves, 

 fruits, &c. &c.— with regard to the formation of diUerent parts in greater or fmaller quantity. 



which 



