114 



twenty counties the total solids in the juice ranged from 14.7 to 23.7 

 percent; the sucrose from 12.10 to 22.08 per cent; the glucose from 

 0.006 to 0.87 per cent, and purity from 53 to 94 per cent. The percent- 

 age of total solids in the nine samples from Grand Island was in one 

 case 17, in the others 23.7. The sucrose ranged from 13.52 to 21.41 per 

 cent; the glucose from 0.08 to 0.296 per cent; and the coefiicient of 

 purity from 59 to 90. 



Seed, cultiiiation, and manuring. — It appears from the table that practi- 

 cally only two varieties — Lane's Imperial and Vilmorin — produced beets 

 of a high sugar content, and that uiost of the beets were of the latter 

 variety. The beets of small size and light weight were richest in sugar. 

 Conversely, with richness in sugar we And small beets aud light weight. 

 Of the sixty-one beets whose juice contained over 12 per cent of sugar, 

 only sixteen weighed as much as two pounds each. "Experience lias 

 shown that a beet of regular form, rather long aud tapering, is, other 

 things being equal, best adapted to the production of sugar." Illustra- 

 tions are given of a large, coarse, woody beet contiiining a small percent- 

 age of sugar, aud of a small, smooth beet with a long, tapering body, 

 belonging to a variety the average sugar content of which is high. 



A tabular statement of the analyses of certain German, French, and 

 Nebraska soils is given to illustrate the fact, now well known, that meth- 

 ods of cultivation are of much greater importance than the chemical 

 composition of soils in the growing of sugar-beets. "Deep, mellow, 

 well-drained soils are theoretically the best for beet-sugar growing. 

 Such soils are easily permeable by air and moisture ; are readily aftected 

 by drought; and oflter but little resistance to the downward growth of the 

 root. Heavy clay soils, and new and very rich soils that are underlaid by 

 a stratum which does not permit the surplus water to drain off readily, 

 are not well adapted to the production of sugar-beets for sugar." 



A loamy soil, usually sandy loam, was generally used for sugar-beets 

 in Nebraska in 1889, and the grower is recommended to plant on old, 

 cultivated, light soils. Deep plowing aud thorough pulverization, i. e, 

 "garden cultivation," is required to produce beets rich in sugar. 



The best methods of cultivation and manuring for sugar-beets in Ne- 

 braska must be learned b}^ exijerience, but in gaining this experience 

 the authors wisely think we should take advantage of what has been 

 done in this line in Europe. To give the farmers in Nebraska informa- 

 tion concerning the methods of sugar-beet culture abroad, extracts from 

 Special Report 28, of this Department, are given at considerable 

 length. 



Yield and cost. — Inasmuch as no definite information from Nebraska 

 farmers on these points was available, experience in California is cited. 

 Instances are given in which the iirolit per acre ranged from $37 to $69. 



It is recommended that " during the coming season those interested 

 in the sugar-beet question, who plant seed, shall in all cases plant meas- 

 ured plats, one tenth, one half, or one-acre lots. Then by keeping an 



