SUGAR BEETS. 1(J7 



Structure. If a section of a beet be made perpendicular to the 

 axis, it will be found to consist of alternately opaque and trans- 

 lucent layers of vegetable tissue. The richest sugar beets con- 

 tain the most opaque layers. From Bretschneider's investigations 

 it appears that a relation exists between the number of leaves and 

 the number of zones. There also exists a relation between the 

 percentage of sugar, the number of leaves and the number of 

 zones, as shown by the following table :* 



Per cent, of Sugar. No. of Leaves. No. of Zones. 



) 15.7 42 48 



Vilmorin Beets, f- 14.8 39 36 



) 13.8 31 32 



The percentage of sugar varies in different parts of the same 

 beet, being greater near the bottom of the root than at the top. 



Choice of the Seed. It becomes of vital importance to the 

 beet grower to obtain seed from a good source. These can be 

 at present obtained in suflScient quantities from France or Ger- 

 many ; but as our own agriculturists may wish to produce their 

 own seed, some rules which have been laid down by long practice 

 may be of value. In the choice of seed-beets, reject all speci- 

 mens which grow out of the ground. Select clean growing 

 roots of from l^ pounds to 2| pounds weight. These must be 

 kept between layers of sand or in dry pits during the winter. 

 The beets should be of a well proved variety, grown upon a soil 

 which is neither too moist or clayey, nor too rich in vegetable 

 mould. The densest roots are generally chosen for seed-beets, 

 and formerly their specific gravity was determined by immersion 

 of the roots in solutions of salt of known density ; this gives fal- 

 lacious results, as beets contain a small volume of gas in their 

 cells. It is therefore best to determine the specific gravity of the 

 juice as Vilmorin directs, and which according to him should not 

 be less than 1 .05 — those beets whose juice has a specific gravity of 

 1.06 and over being of superior quality. M. Violette recommends 

 the determination of the sugar in the juice by the use of titrated 

 solutions. 



Small seeds generally give smaller but richer beets than large 

 seeds — as is shown by the following result obtained from Simon 

 Legrand seeds. f 



* Champion & Pellet. De la Betterave, etc. ; p. 58. f De la Betterave; p. 28. 



