MICHIGAN BEET SUGAR 377 



credit is due to Prof. ('. D. Smith, as director of the Experiment Station, 

 who received the seed from Washington, distributed it to the farmers 

 and kept things alive by lectures and papers. Among others who con- 

 tributed to the success of this great undertaking, honorable mention 

 should be made of Higgins & Lenders, of Saginaw, who made 138 

 separate trials of raising sugar beets and furnished 138 samples of beets 

 for chemical analysis. 



UULLETIX 150.— SUOAU BEETS IN .MICHIGAN' IN 1S97, BY C. D. S.MITH, DIRECTOR, AND 



R. C. KEDZIE, CHEMIST. 



The results of the experiments and trials were given to the public 

 in Bulletin 150. It gave the results of analysis of 193 samples of sugar 

 beets, showing an average of more than IG per cent of sugar in the 

 juice and a coefficient of purity of 83 per cent. The samples came from 

 (Jl counties, embracing a large part of the State. A map was printed 

 showing the distribution of these trials by counties with statement 

 of the content of sugar and the purity of the juice. The bulletin also 

 colli ained a large amount of useful information on the kind of soil, 

 method of planting and cultivating the beets, when to harvest them, 

 etc. The bulletin thus became a text-book on sugar beets in Mich- 

 igan, and was printed and distributed in the State by thousands of 

 copi^.'!. 



The w k of the college in further promoting this great industry 

 is too rec to be called history; the college is still at work in this 

 line and hopes to be still more useful as the years go by. The fact 

 that nearly a score of sugar factories have been at work or are now 

 in proc. ss of construction shows how firmly this new industry has 

 taken root in our State. 



WHY DOES THE COLLEGE TAKE SLCH AN INTEREST? 



Anything . it promotes agriculture is of interest to the Agricultural 

 College. A . w considerations will show why the farming class are 

 inter.ested in i \e sugar beet industry. 



1. It is a 'ash crop and brings money directly upon the farm, and 

 is not controlled by stock-gambling finctuations in the great cities. 

 The iuv. f ij^lO an acre in the price of farm lands in the vicinity of 



the sngf.. tory is signiiticant. 



'2. It diwrsifles industry, and prevents soil exhaustion if properly 

 managed. Sugai- makes no iiermaneiit withdrawal of the elements of 

 fertility from the soil — no phosphate, potash, or combined nitrogen. 

 It consists solely of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen — a pure carbohy- 

 drate; simply condensed and crystallized wind, water and sunshine. 



The exhausting materials are retained in the by-products, the leaves, 

 crown and beet pulp. If these are finally restored to the soil, the ex- 

 haustion of the soil is prevented. No amount of pure sugar gathered 

 from a field can lessen its i)roducing capacity. 



3. It i>romotes stock growing and grain raising. The intioduction 

 of the beet sugar industry in Fi-ance raised the aveiage wheat crop 

 from 17 to :i8 bushels jter acre, and increased the i>roducti(»n of fat 

 cattle 50 j»er cent. In France and Germany the best preparation for a 

 crop of wheat is to raise a crop of sugar beets on the land the year be- 



4K 



