IO6 BEET-ROOT SUGAR AND 



a tendency to grow out of the ground are improved 

 in quality by earthing them up in July. 



HARVESTING THE BEET. 



The maturity of the beet is marked by unmistaka- 

 ble signs. The leaves of the plants, instead of look- 

 ing green, thrifty, and vigorous, begin to assume a 

 yellowish tinge, to wither and drop off. This period 

 varies with the climate, the season, and also with the 

 method of cultivating and of manuring. These indi- 

 cations are signals of the coming harvest, and the 

 field must thenceforward be narrowly watched, calcu- 

 lation being made as to how much time will probably 

 elapse before frost sets in : also as to the force attain- 

 able for harvesting the crop, and also as to the prob- 

 ability of rain. It is important that beets should be 

 harvested before heavy frost, although they will, before 

 being dug, bear a temperature of 22 to 24 without 

 injury. Beets that are frozen should be left for eight 

 or ten days before being dug, in which case they often 

 recover from the effect of the frost ; if they could be 

 left longer, it would be still better. After being dug, 

 the beet will bear a temperature of 28 without detri- 

 ment. Heavy rains, after the foliage has withered 

 and fallen, stimulate the production of new leaves at 

 the expense of the sugar in the beet. This should be 

 counteracted by harvesting the crop as speedily as 

 possible ; but the longer the beet stays in the ground 

 without the risk of freezing or producing new leaves, 

 the better for the manufacturer, and of course for the 

 farmer, for their interests are identical. 



Beets are generally ripe in France the last of Sep- 



