CULTIVATION OF THE BEET. 93 



ation. The depth of the furrow should not be less 

 than twelve inches, and if deeper, so much the better ; 

 for the root of the sugar beet requires a deep, rich 

 bed, in which it can develop itself entirely beneath 

 the surface of the soil. The part that grows .above 

 the ground contains no sugar, and if it rises much, 

 is always cut off at the time of harvest, that course 

 being mutually agreed upon in Europe by the manu- 

 facturer and cultivator.* 



If the soil is ploughed to a sufficient depth, the root 

 of the beet will not rise above the ground. The 

 farmer consequently not only gets a larger crop, and 

 of better quality, but the whole of it is marketable. 

 Whereas if the ground is not properly ploughed, the 

 beets rise, the part above ground is cut off, and is only 

 used for feeding stock. 



Deep ploughing therefore is of the greatest impor- 

 tance, not only for the beet, but also, as every farmer 

 knows, for succeeding crops. It renders the soil mel- 



* The portion of the root that grows out of the ground contains 

 little or no sugar, but is rich in salts ; therefore there is not only 

 no good derived by the manufacturer from this exposed part, but 

 a positive evil ; for besides lessening the percentage of sugar con- 

 tained in the whole root, the presence of the salts in the neck les- 

 sens still farther the percentage that can be extracted. This is so 

 well understood, that in Germany, where women and children can 

 be hired at ten or fifteen cents a day, they are employed in the fac- 

 tories to cut off from the beets, before they are rasped, every part 

 of the crown and neck that grew above the surface of the soil. 

 The portion thus cut off is fed to cattle. In France, where labor 

 is higher, this custom does not prevail ; but if the beets grow 

 much above the surface, the necks are cut off at the time of har- 

 vest. 



