204 



STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Tabic showing changes in co-efficient of purity and pounds of sugar during nine weeks' 

 storage in piles with sufficient protection to prevent freezing. 



Variety. 



Austrian B. A... 

 Austrian B. G. V 

 Russian W. A. C 



Meyers' Elite 



WohankaE. R... 

 Wohanka Z. R.. 



Averages — 



Purity. 



Oct. 26. 



80.8 

 73.3 

 80.3 

 75.6 

 83.5 

 75.4 



78.0 



> T ov. 27. 



80.5 

 80.0 

 84.5 

 77.1 

 80.9 

 78.1 



80.0 



Dec. 31. 



74 

 74 

 75 

 71 

 03 

 74 



72 



Per cent gained or lost. 



*+2.56 



*— 10.00 



*— 7.7 



^Computed from averages and not from figures above. 



Considering the loss in weights, the excessive decrease from October 26 to November 

 27 is due in part to the dirt which was still clinging to the beets when they were lirst 

 weighed; although they were carefully trimmed, and but little dirt was on them. It 

 is quite likely that the percentage of evaporation for this period was very much more 

 than for the second period. It will be observed, however, that the decrease in weight 

 was not commensurate with the increase in the per cent of sugar, for, under the tabic 

 of pounds of sugar, it will be seen from these figures that there was an actual increase 

 of 82y r> pounds of sugar, or practically 14 per cent. During the second month it will be 

 seen that there was but a slight shrinkage in the number of pounds of beets, and some 

 of this may have been due to the dirt which rattled off. In the beets, however, there 

 was a change going on as shown by the decrease in the per cent of sugar, giving for the 

 linal loss in pounds of sugar 9.37 per cent. The coefficient of purity shows a slight 

 increase during the first month, but a marked decrease during the second month, averag- 

 ing about 78 in the first test, 80 in the second, and 72 in the third. 



Whether or not there is actually a development of sugar in the beet which continues 

 for a short period after it is harvested, and whether the best time to secure the greatest 

 amount of sugar follows within three or four weeks from the time the beets are harvested, 

 are problems that this experiment opens up. That the coefficient of purity should 

 behave practically as it did in this case is in accord with other experiments noted in this 

 connection. It was to be expected too that the per cent of sugar would increase practi- 

 cally in proportion to the decrease in weight of the beets by evaporation, but so marked 

 a change, resulting in an increase of practically 14 per cent in the actual sugar in the 

 beets, is indeed a surprise. Should it, upon further experiment, be determined that 

 storing beets for a period of nine weeks will result in a loss of nearly 10 per cent in 

 the money value of the crop, it certainly presents a question demanding serious con- 

 sideration, and the devising of plans to either convert the beets more promptly into sugar 

 or so store them as to prevent this loss. 



In Colorado Experiment Station Bulletin No. 40, the conclusion is that "Simple freez- 

 ing does not affect the quality of the beets, while drying out increases the percentage of 



