188 



EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



4-5 EDVv'ARD VII., A. 1905 



There is in these results much of interest, but it may suffice for our present pur- 

 pose to call attention to one or two of the more important deductions that may be 

 made from them. The largest draught is upon the potash. On July 29, the amount 

 was 70 lbs. per acre, increasing to a total of over 200 lbs. by the time the beets were 

 ready to harvest. 



The relative amounts of this potash in roots and leaves is also a matter of im- 

 portance. Thus, according to these results, there is at the time of harvesting the 

 beet practically twice as much potash in the leaves and crowns taken together as in 

 the dressed roots. 



Further, we conclude that at this period the phosphoric acid in the dressed roots 

 is essentially equal to that in the leaves and crowns taken together, while the nitrogen 

 in the dressed roots is two-thirds of that contained in the rest of the beet. These 

 deductions will perhaps be more evident from the following table of data, given io~: 

 October 19, 1904 : 



Fertilizing Constituents in Beet Crop, per Acre. ' 



Constituents. 



Potash ....._.. 

 Phosphoric acid . 

 Nitrogen 



Leaves and 

 Crowns. 



Dressed 

 Roots. 



Lbs. 



135 

 22-2 

 53-6 



Lbs. 



67-6 

 21-2 

 374 



Total. 



Lbs. 



203-5 

 43-4 

 910 



It is very evident that if the leaves are eai'ted away and i;sed as cattle food 

 the restitution of potash and nitrogen to maintain the fertility of the soil must be 

 veiy much greater than if the crop is ' topped ' on the field. 



Another important deduction may be made respecting the period of gTowth at 

 which this plant food is more particularly absorbed by the beet crop. The figured 

 from which to obtain this information are as follows : 



Weights of Fertilizing Constituents per Acre in Beet Crop (Boots, Crowns and 



Leaves) at various stages of growth. 



Dates of Collections. 



Phosphoric 

 Acid. 



First collection, July 29 

 Second n Sept. 8. 



Third .. Oct. 19* 



Lbs. 



8-7 

 38-8 

 43 4 



Potash. 



Lbs. 



701 

 213-6 

 203 5 



Lime, 



Lbs. 



14-8 

 441 

 43-4 



Nitroo-en. 



Lbs. 



28-5 

 850 

 910 



It needs but a glance to show that there is very little appropriation of soil food 

 after September 1, though from that date till the middle of October there was a large 

 production of sugar, as made evident by the increase in the weight of dressed roots 

 (1 ton 633 lbs. per acre) and the higher percentage of sugar in them. The percentages 

 of sugar in the beet at the various periods, were as follows : July 29, 8'07 per cent; 

 September 8, 14*12 per cent ; and on October 19, 14'94 per cent. This early assimila- 

 tion of nourishment from the soil, to my mind, points to the desirability of thorough 



♦From the weight of potash recorded for this collection being less than that for Sept. 

 8th, it seems quite probable that all the data for the third collection are somewhat too lo-w— 

 o-wing, -we conjecture, chiefly to the loss of mature leaves, as already explained. 



