FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 103 



Q. Are tops better than dirt for covering beets? 



Jotham Allen: We put the dirt on first about 2^2 to 3 inches, always having a tight 

 pit. Then we put on 5 or 6 inches of leaves which you scatter around on the bottom 

 of the pit before freezing weather comes. When it freezes we use more leaves and 

 more dirt. 



Q. What do the experiments at the College in storing beets show? 



Prof. Towar: In our experiments we stored six piles with about 800 to 1,000 

 pounds in each pile. They were harvested October 26, were all weighed, sampled 

 and tested, put in piles in fields, and covered with leaves. Four weeks later they 

 were sampled and tested, and this was repeated four weeks still later. The final result 

 was that, while the beets had lost in weight due to evaporation, they had increased 

 in sugar content. They actually had more sugar in them than at the beginning of 

 the test. The first four weeks showed a shrinkage of 16% in weight and an increase 

 in sugar of 30% with an actual amount of sugar greater by 12% than at the 

 beginning. The second four weeks they shrank both in weight and per cent of sugar. 

 In the whole nine weeks they lost 9.3% of sugar but gained in purity. We, of course, 

 expected an increase in the per cent of sugar caused by the decrease in weight, but 

 we did not look for actual increase in sugar content. 



Q. Can we not cover beets with something else than tops and save the tops for food? 



Prof. Towar: The tops are best for covering the beets because they do not cling to 

 the beets. Everything else does cling to the beets and is a nuisance at the factory. 



Q. Can you silo beet tops? 



C. C. Lillie: Yes, I have tried this and the cows eat them up clean. They take 

 the place of corn silage. 



Mr. Burgoyne: It has been stated that the farmers like to sell dirt, but that 

 does not pay. You have to pay freight on dirt and that is too expensive. One of 

 the best growers in Saginaw county covers his beets with dirt and has no trouble. 



Mr. Bradley: We need to pay some attention to the maturity of our beets. It has 

 been found that there is a difference in the test of 2% per cent in favor of mature 

 beets. Sometimes where farmers complain of their beets testing low, it will be found 

 that they have had green beets mixed in their lot and some of these green beets got in 

 the test and lowered the value of the entire load. Something has been said here today 

 as to the soil. It will be found that the best beets in our country are grown^on hard 

 or at least heavy clay, the beets testing as high as 17 per cent. 



Q. Can pulp be kept in the silo? 



C. C. Lillie: There is no question but pulp will keep perfectly in the silo. Put it 

 in as fast as it can be brought from the factory. 



Q. Will beet tops taint the milk? 



C. C. Lillie: We fed beets once a day at night, and had no complaint. Be sure 

 not to feed too much at once. You can taint milk with corn, clover or silage if you 

 feed too much at once. 



Q. Was not the shrinkage of the beets in the College experiment too great? If 

 we got as much shrinkage in potatoes we would think it a pretty serious matter. 



Prof. Towar: Beets dry out much faster than potatoes do; besides a good deal of 

 dirt was shaken off also during the experiments. 



Q. How can beets actually gain in sugar? 



Dr. Kedzie: It is hard to say. The materials that make sugar come from the air 

 through the leaves. As the beet ripens, the sugar content increases. Besides there is 

 also stored up a sort of gummy substance. It is the presence of this that affects the 

 purity. Out of this gummy substance the sugar is developed and it is possible that 

 this process goes on for a brief period after the beets are stored. 



Secy. Wilson was asked to make a few remarks on the subject of sugar beets. He 

 said: "I am satisfied that the future of the beet sugar industry depends upon good 

 farming much more than it does upon any political action that may be taken. 



"I speak of this sugar beet business from experience in growing. I note that the 

 question of feeding beet tops has been mentioned. I do not believe you can feed 

 tops and get good milk. You can feed the beet itself and you can feed the pulp, but 

 the tops contain salts that are needed in the land, and should be plowed under for 

 the benefit of the soil, but should not be fed. 



"The question is sometimes asked, may we grow two beet crops in succession on the 

 same soil? I answer yes, of you furnish to the soil the fertilizer that was taken 

 out by the first crop ; but a safer way is by proper rotation. Those who rotate crops and 

 grow grass get humus into their soil, but the growing of hoed crops in succession 



