The Wohurn Field Experiments, 1912. 



313 



details of which are given in last year's report (see Journal 

 R.A.S.E., Vol. 72, 1911, pp. 399-403). Though these were not 

 now repeated in extenso, sugar-beet was grown again, the field 

 being Warren Field, the soil of which is a fairly heavy loam. 

 Questions having arisen, too, as to the loss of weight found in 

 washing the beet free of dirt, particular attention was paid 

 to this point. The field was manured with 10 tons per acre of 

 London dung, and on May 8, 16 lb. per acre of " Klein 

 Wanzleben " seed were drilled. The drills were 18 inches 

 apart. The plants were singled and set out June 21-25, hoed 

 July 10-12, and top-dressed on July 29 with 1 cwt. per acre of 

 sulphate of ammonia. On October 2-10 the beets were pulled, 

 they were then topped and cleaned in the ordinary way, and 

 weighed. The roots subsequently were washed free of dirt 

 and weighed again. Table XI. gives the produce, both as 

 weighed in the field and after washing, and also, by way of 

 comparison, the produce of mangolds (" Yellow Globe ") on an 

 adjoining plot. 



Table XI. — Sugar-heet ( Warren Field). 



Weight of roots per acre, 1912. 



Cleaned in 

 field 



Washed roots 



Loss in 

 washing 



Sugar-beet (" Klein Wanzleben ") 

 Mangolds ("Yellow Globe") 



T. c. q. lb. 

 18 11 1 20 

 28 13 2 7 



T. c. q. lb. 

 13 

 24 19 



Per cent. 

 30 

 13 



From these figures it will be seen that the mangolds gave 

 fully 10 tons more yield per acre than the sugar-beet. The 

 yields with both crops, however, fall considerably below 

 those of 1911, when 21 tons of sugar-beet and 44 tons of 

 mangolds per acre were grown. The loss on washing the 

 sugar-beet came out at 30 per cent, as against the 35 per cent, 

 recorded in 1911, the coi-responding loss with mangolds being 

 13 per cent, only, the same figure as given in 1911. There is 

 little doubt that the season of 1912, though there was plenty 

 of rain, was not nearly so good a one for the healthy growth 

 and development of the root- crops as was the dry one of 1911. 

 The roots were subsequently analysed, and gave the following 

 results : — 



Water 

 Juice 



Crude fibre 

 Total sugar in juice 

 ,, ,, roots. 



Purity of juice . 



Sugar-beet 

 per cent. 

 74-53 

 95-50 

 4-50 

 18-40 

 17-57 

 82-5 



Mangolds 

 per cent. 



•78 

 •90 

 -10 

 •45 

 •27 

 •0 



