30 



The Sugar-Beet in America 



the beet is richest in sugar slightly above the middle of 

 the beet and that the sugar decreases toward the two ends. 

 The tip of the root is lower in sugar than any other part 

 except the center of the crown. 

 The section of the beet down through 

 the center has appreciably less sugar 

 than the section directly opposite 

 toward the outside. The part of 

 the beet lowest in sugar has only 

 about two-thirds as much as the 

 highest. 



The ideal condition would be to 

 leave all the beets in the ground 

 till completely ripe, which is the 

 time when the highest percentage 

 of sugar is stored. This is not 

 always practical, however, when a 

 large acreage must be harvested. 

 Some of the beets must be dug be- 

 fore they are entirely ready, and 

 the digging season must be ex- 

 tended beyond the best time in 

 order to harvest all the crop. After 

 sugar has been stored in the beets, 

 it may again be transferred to other parts and used. This 

 storage and later transfer of sugar are dependent largely on 

 soil and climatic conditions. The storage of a high per- 

 centage of sugar in the root while the leaves are com- 

 paratively low in sugar is made possible by the fact that 

 sucrose diffuses out of the cells with difficulty, whereas 

 the glucose and fructose of the leaves move rapidly from 



Fio. 6. — Diagram 

 showing distribution of 

 sugar in different parts 

 of the sugar-beet. 



