Ill 



Nebraska Station, Bulletin No. 13, April, 1890 (pp. 81). 



Experiments in the culture of the sugar-ueet in Nebraska, 

 II. H. Nicholson, M. A., and Eachel Lloyd, Ph. D. — In 1872, 

 beets raised on the farm of the Industrial College for stock feeding, 

 were found by analysis to contain over 15 per cent of sugar, Ajipar- 

 ently no further investigations in this line were made in Nebraska uutil 

 the spring of 1888, when a systematic ex])eriment was begun by per- 

 sons in and near Grand Island, to find whether beets could be raised in 

 that locality with sutlicient sugar coutent to warrant the investment of 

 cai)ital in a sugar plant at that place. The results of the experiment, 

 including those of analyses at the station and elsewhere, were so satis- 

 factory, that in 1889 the station undertook to carry on investigations in 

 this line throughout the State. Farmers i^lanting either sugar-beets 

 or sugar-cane in 1889 were requested to report to the station re- 

 garding, (I) ki'jd and variety of seed planted, («) sugar-beet, {b) sugar- 

 cane; (1*) number of acres planted; (3) date of planting; (4) kind of 

 soil; (5) method of cultivation; (G) time of harvesting, yield per acre; 

 (7) cost per acre, price ])er ton at factor^' ; (8) kind of season. Seeds of 

 Lane's Imperial and Vilmorin varieties of sugar-beets were distributed 

 among farmers in different parts of the St;ate, and other varieties were 

 also tested in some places. The station co-operated also with the State 

 Bureau of Labor and Statistics, which furnished beets for analysis. 

 Analyses of one hundred and sixty-six specimen beets, grown by over 

 sixty different persons, in thirty-seven counties, representing all sec- 

 tions of the State, are reported in detail in the bulletin and summarized 

 in a table fdling nearly six closely printed pages. Besides Vilmorin and 

 Lane's Imperial the following varieties were analyzed : Percy's White, 

 White Sugar, Improved Imperial, Silesian, and Wanzleben. In some 

 cases ten specimens and in others only one was taken for analysis from 

 each experiment. The time of planting ranged from April 4 to June 15, 

 but was usually in the early part of May. The crop was harvested in 

 October. Almost all the experiments were on loamy soil. Apparently 

 little attention was paid to methods of cultivation. The data given in 

 the table include the name and post-office address of grower, variety of 

 beets, time of planting and harvesting, kind of soil, amount of cultiva- 

 tion, average temperature and rain-fall, and number of rainy days for 

 each month of the season of growth, weight of the beet analyzed, total 

 solids, per cent of sugar (sucrose and glucose), and purity. The fol- 

 lowing explanations of some of the terms used in the table are taken 

 from the bulletin : 



lu the column "total solids" is written the entire amonnt of solid matter, sugar, 

 and other substances in 100 parts of the juice. Under "per cent of sugar" are two 

 columns: the one "sucrose," the other "<>lucose." The figures indicate the amount 

 of each in 100 parts of jnice. By sucrose is meant our ordinary crystallizable sugar; 

 by glucose wo mean a less sweet sugar. In the column marked " purity " is recorded 



