from indigenous Plants. 411 



prefent high price of that article, would be cheap enough; though dearer than fugar 

 from the maple, with which laft it agrees pretty well, as to its goodnefs or quality. 



i. Experiments made ■with the Rttnkdrilbe (Beta v^ilgaris altiffima. Beta cicla 

 altiffima, according to Jacquin},yor the pur p of of making Sugar. 



The runkelrube is like the precedirig, very common ; fo much fo, that both fpecies 

 are employed in Thuringen, and in the environs of Brandenburg for feeding cattle. It 

 differs from the foregoing in its very juicy ftate and fweet tafte. 



The runkel-rapes, which I made ufe of for my experiments, were cultivated at 

 Schoneberg, near Berlin, in a moderately good foil on the eftates of the privy-counfellor 

 Mr. Noldechen. When they are clofely examined, they offer to view a great variety of 

 appearance. On the outfide they are all of them covered with a red rind; but inter- 

 nally fome are perfeftly white, fome are variegated with white and red circles, and fome 

 are diftinguiflied from the others by light and deep-red rings. Others again are thick 

 and knobby, while others are thin and long, like beet-roots. I am unable to determine 

 whether this external difference depends on real varieties, or on the various quality pf the 

 foil in which they grow. Mine Were all taken from the fame kind of ground, In 

 Thuringen, my native country, where thofc rapes, as far as my remembrance reaches, 

 are cultivated as food for cattle, it is probably owing to the goodnefs of the foil that they 

 appear larger and more abundant in juice, than here. Their fize and richnefs in liquor 

 are, befides, promoted there by hoeing and covering their protuberant part with earth, 

 and alfo by not lopping off their leaves, but preferving the vegetation upon them till the 

 lime of reaping ; though in another point of view it would furnifh a good fupport to cat- 

 tle. Such rapes as have been cropped or cut, are externally dillinguilhable from thofe 

 that have not. The firfl; are lefs fmooth and have a larger crown, on which all the 

 fproutings for new leaves are obfervable, the fecond are more even, and poffefs a 

 fmaller crown.* 



One Scheffel, of thefe runkelriibes, held 112 pieces of various fize, and weighed 

 125 pounds. After they were feparated from the crown and outer rind, they were 

 grated, and the pulp, from which a portion of juice fpontaneoufly drained off, was 

 ilrongly preffed. I thus obtained from this fcheffel of rapes 24 quarts of a violet- 

 coloured and very fweet liquor. I firft reduced it without any addition, to a third part 

 ky boiling, which by experience I find to be the beft method. During this procefs a 



* Thefe rapes are remarkable for their extremely great.quantity of juice. I had 5 of them cut into thin fliceJ 

 without paring tbem, and fuffered them to dry upon a chamber-ftove ; after which only 1 7 ounces of a dry mafs 

 remained, exhibiting a tafte fimilar to that of liquorice ; which attrafted moiliure from the air. Hence one pound 

 •f ficlh Ruokelriibe affords only two ounces dry matter. 



run 



