392 STATE BOARD OF AORICULTURK. 



valinj^ and liarvcst iiij; tlic heels. I'lMiucsiin;; a sainjde of the heels for 

 aiiaivsis. Vouv hundred farnuM's receivi'd the heel seed and two Imn- 

 dred and l\venty-ei<j:ht reported results and sent beets for analysis, 

 reports beinj; received from tliirty-nine counties. The averaj?e content 

 of suirar in liie heet juice was 14.'_M) ])er cent, tlie coefTicient of ])urity 

 was ahove 80 degrees in two liundred sj)eciniens, and helow SO deforces 

 in twenty-seven. The estimated yield of beets per acre was thirteen 

 tons. 



llaviufi: thus deinoiisliated llie adaptodness of I\Ii(lii<ian to ])rodiice 

 sugar beets of high (jualKy and well suited for making sugar, the Col- 

 lege did not further push these investigations. The agricultural and 

 €hemical problems were solved, but capitalists and manufacturers were 

 not ready to enter and i)Ossess this land of promise. 



THE CAMPAIGN OF 1R97. 



In 1807 general interest was again awakened in this subject, and 

 legislation was secured to ]»romote the manufacture of beet sugar. 

 The lively interest taken in this subject by Secretary Willson of the 

 Department of Agriculture greatly promoted the efforts of the Col- 

 lege. The beet seed furnished by the Department of Agriculture was 

 sent to a large number of leading farmers who would undertake to raise 

 at least one acre of beets, also to a still larger number of ])ersons whose 

 work was of the amateur class. The season was only a fair one for 

 sugar beets, the temperature for May and June being 3 degrees F. 

 below the normal, and the rainfall in July being five inches above the 

 normal, making cultivation difficult; but August and September were 

 warm and full of sunshine, and October was nearly 5 degrees F. above 

 the normal. The beet crop was quite satisfactory. The specimens of 

 beets received for analysis numbered 40r5 and came from (U counties. 

 The average content of sugar in the juice was 10.08 per cent, and the 

 coefficient of purity in 408 samples was above 80 degrees, while in 85 

 samples the purity was below 80 degrees, ranging from G2 degrees to 

 seventy-nine degrees. In most of these cases of low purity the beets 

 were grown on mucky soils. 



THE MICHIGAN SUGAR BEET MAP 



shows the area covered by this investigation, and gives data in regard 

 to the sugar beet in the different counties. 



To present the various facts embraced in the preceding tables relating 

 to the growth of sugar beets in this State in 1897 in such shape that 

 they can be seen at a glance, a sugar beet map is here inserted which 

 shows the leading facts in regard to the experiments on this crop in our 

 State for the year 1897. 



This map shows by counties the number of samples of beets sent to 

 the Experiment Station, the average content of sugar, and the coefficient 

 of purity. The map speaks for itself: 



