PROCEEDINGS OF THE POLYTECHNIC ASSOCIATION. 753 



from the field, impart them to the juice, and impede the produc- 

 tion of crystallizable sugar. The beets should not Aveigh less than 

 one pound, nor more than five, smaller ones behig washed and 

 ground only with difficulty, while those larger generally have a too 

 diluted juice. The beet should further have a firm, uniform tex- 

 ture, should make a loud cracking noise on breaking, and should 

 sink in water. Those that break readily are easily ground to pulp, 

 a necessary property, while half dried old beets are somewhat 

 elastic, and therefore difficult to be reduced. It is also desirable 

 that the beet should be white, although this is not necessary. 

 The juice should be sweet, concentrated, and contain few impuri- 

 ties, its concentration varying from 4° to 12° B. The beet should 

 not grow above the ground, as that portion has a loose texture, a 

 thick skin, a watery juice, is rich in salt and poor in sugar, and 

 freezes easily during cold Avinter nights. To obtain these results 

 the ground should be avcU ploughed, manured a year before plant- 

 ing (the best previous crop being wheat, although beets may be 

 grown scccessively for a number of years without exhausting the 

 ground.) Nitrogenous manure is to be avoided, as it increases the 

 nitrogenous protein substances of the beet, consuming its entire 

 vital power while its proportion of sugar remains small. The best 

 time for soAving is between the latter part of March and the first 

 of May. The soAving is made diagonally througli the fields, as 

 this uses space more economically than the square way of planting. 

 The seed should not be over one year old, and is to be put in the 

 ground abundantly to insure a full harvest. Rainy seasons are 

 dreaded, as too much moisture produces large beets containing a 

 watery juice, many salts, and but little sugar, while dry seasons 

 commonly produce good beets. The time of harvest lasts from 

 September to October, the latest crop being always the sweetest. 

 When pulled, the loose dirt is shaken ofl', the leaves and side 

 branches are cut off, and remain to act as manure for a future crop. 

 The yield per acre varies from 12,000 to 18,000 pounds, the average 

 being perhaps 15,000, which is equal to about 1,200 pounds of 

 raw sugar. 



The thorouijh cultivation of the .beet is the first condition of 

 success, as a poor beet opposes too many difficulties to its economi- 

 cal employment. The best ground for beets is black mold, humus 

 or sandy or limy loose ground; clayey soil, as it retains too much 

 moisture, is less desirable. The beets after harvesting, nuist be 



[Am. Inst.] VV 



