STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 293 



CULTIVATION AND PRESERVATION OF THE BEET. 



VARIETIES OF THE BEET. 



The beet, which is a native of Turkey, is a half-hardy biennial plant. 

 Its roots attain their full size during the first year. The seeds are pro- 

 duced from transplanted roots, after which the plant dies. 



According to an analysis of the beet by Professor Payen, it contains — 



Per cent. 



Water 



Sugar in solution 



Cellulose and pectose 



Albumen, caseine, and nitrogenous matters 



Malic acid ; pectine; gummy substances ; fatty, aromatic and 



coloring matters; phosphate of lime; phosphate of magnesia; 



silicate, nitrate, sulphate, and oxalate of potash, etc 



83.5 



105 



.8 



1.5 



3.7 



100.0 



Among the many varieties of the beet the following may be enume- 

 rated as best adapted for agricultural and manufacturing purposes: 

 The long red mangel-wurzel, the German red mangel-wurzel, the long 

 white green-top mangel-wurzel, the long white red-top mangel-wurzel, 

 the yellow globe mangel-wurzel, the Imperial, the Magdeburg, and the 

 white sugar or white Silesian. The white or sweet turnip variety is 

 the most desirable for general cultivation. Of this variety there are 

 two kinds, viz : the white beet root with a rosy collar, which contains 

 the largest amount of sugar ; and the Silesian, a white beet root, with a 

 green collar, containing less sugar. The roots of the Silesian variety 

 grow almost entirely below the surface of the ground, and owing to their 

 compact and firm texture, resist both frosts aud spontaneous alterations 

 better than any other variety. 



Those who are not only distillers, but who are at the same time 

 growers of the beet root, and who endeavor to obtain not only an abun- 

 dant crop of saccharine matter, but also a large crop in weight of roots 

 per acre, may advantageously raise beets which yield even less sugar 

 than the Silesian variety, and which contain extraneous substances 

 prejudicial in the manufacture of sugar, but not in the distillation of 

 alcohol. Among these varieties may be named the yellow beet of Ger- 

 many, an oblong root with a yellow pulp, the beet with a pale yellow 

 skin and white "pulp, only slightly elongated — a variety which has been 

 found in some countries nearly as rich in sugar as the sweet turnip. It 

 is customary in Europe for sugar factories and distilleries to supply the 

 growers with seed, at the same time contracting for the crop when 

 grown. The French factories generally furnish the Silesian beet root 

 seed. 



To maintain the quality of the beet unimpaired it is necessary from 

 time to time to renew the seeds, and select them with care. The sim- 



