EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 201 



and a report made to the sender. The weight of the beet when pulled, cleaned 

 and topped, fresh from the ground is never sent with the beet so that the station 

 has no means of knowing how much the weight of the sample has shrunk in transit. 

 A test, of the wilted, dried specimen as received at the college could naturally not 

 give the per cent of sugar in the beet as it left the field of the grower. The amount 

 of this shrinkage is a matter not fully understood. 



Supt. L. M. Geismar of the Upper Peninsula B.xperiment Station wrapped some 

 beets separately in cloth and for a second covering, in paper, and mailed them 

 to the home station at the Agricultural College, a distance somewhat more than 

 four hundred miles. He weighed the beets as sent. They were re-weighed when 

 analyzed The per cent of sugar at Chatham and at the College, with the apparent 

 .gain in richness- is shown in the next table. 



Per Cent Sugar Ter Cent Sugar Per Cent 



at Chatham. at the College. gain. 



No. 1 IG.l 20.6 4.5 



No. 2 14.5 17.8 3.3 



No. 3 16.8 20.2 3.4 



No. 4 15.4 18.6 3.2 



No. 5 16.5 19.6 3.1 



No. 6 14.6 18.4 3.8 



There is a difference in the amount of shrinkage experienced by these six beets, 

 but in general it is safe to say that there was shrinkage enough to account for a 

 variation of over 3% in the sugar content. 



In late October a couple of beets were sent by mail, well wrapped in paper and 

 sewed in sacks, to Saginaw. They were not opened there but were returned at 

 once to the station. Sample 1 had the leaves stripped off but the crown remained. 

 Sample 2 was topped in the usual way. Sample 1 lost 13. 79% in weight and sample 

 *J, 12.90%. In other words, if both beets had tested IG^o before their journey, sample 

 1 would have gained 2.56% in sugar and sample 2, 2.40%. It required seventy- 

 two hours to make the journey. These beets were better protected from evapora- 

 tion than are the average samples. 



4. Effect of lifting on sugar cx)ntent — Frequently after an extended period of 

 warm dry weather in late September and October, a heavy rain starts a new growth 

 on the beets and the per cent of sugar rapidly falls. It is generally believed that 

 if the beets be lifted in the usual way, breaking the tap root and tearing apart 

 most of the lateral roots, the per cent of sugar will not fall. No good opportunity 

 to test the matter presented itself in 1903 as the season was wet throughout. An 

 experiment was undertaken however to furnish some data on the question of the 

 influence of running the beet lifter under the rows on the sugar content of the 

 beets so treated. Analyses were made as soon as the beets were lifted and again 

 after four days had elapsed after the beet lifter had been run under the three 

 rows taken for the test. Ten beets were taken from each row at each analysis, 

 making sixty beets in all. The average of the first analyses was 14.3% and of the 

 second 14%, showing little variation in sugar content in the four days which means 

 of course that the beets dried out but very little and that there was little, if any, 

 new growth and no fermentation. 



5. Relation of the weights of roots, crotons and leaxies — Two trials were made 

 in this matter. In the first, 760 lbs. of clean untopped beets were topped in the 

 usual way. The topped beets weighed 530 lbs., the crowns 120 lbs., and the leaves 

 110 lbs. This makes the crowns weigh 22.6% of the weight of the topped roots 

 and the leaves, 20.77c of the topped roots The weight of the leaves and crowns 

 together was 43.3% of the weight of the topped roots. 



In*the second trial, 865 lbs. of clean untopped beets were taken. The topped 

 beets weighed 620 lbs., the leaves 130 lbs., and the crowns 115 lbs. The leaves were 

 in weight 21% and the crowns 18.57c of the topped 22.6% of the weight of the topped 

 roots and the leaves, 20 7%> of the topped beets or the leaves and crowns together 

 39.5%. The plots from which these beets were taken yielded approximately twelve 

 tons to the acre. Before pulling, the tops appeared less than average in size. 



II. VARIETY TEST. 



The plan adopted in making the test of varieties in 1903 was identical with that 

 of 1902. Each of the factories contributed ten pounds of seed of the varieties used 

 by their patrons. This ten pounds was divided into three parts and the test carried 

 26 



