228 The Sugar-Beet in America 



is run over the canvas. The seed-cleaning machines may 

 be purchased, or one may be made at home for about 

 $100. A good machine will clean about a ton of seed in a 

 day. 



By-products. 



After the seed crop is harvested, the beets and part of 

 the stems and leaves still remain in the field. The beets 

 contain considerable sugar, although much less than at 

 first. They have, however, acquired a woody texture 

 that renders them much less palatable to stock than the 

 fresh beets. A number of cases have been reported of 

 animals dying as a result of accumulated balls of this 

 fibrous material in the digestive tract when fed too many 

 of these beets. They have been used in many other cases 

 without any apparent ill effects. The method of utiliz- 

 ing these beets most economically is not known, but it 

 is probable that the cheapest way is to have stock pasture 

 on these old roots directly in the field similar to hogging- 

 off corn. They can be used safely and economically in 

 this way to supplement other feeds. 



Yields and profits. 



The amount of seed produced varies greatly under dif- 

 ferent conditions. If all the plants give a normal yield, 

 the amount of seed that would be expected theoretically 

 would be several times the yield actually realized in 

 practice. One of the chief causes for this is that a large 

 number of the plants never send up seed-stalks, but 

 throughout the summer merely develop a dense growth 

 of leaves. 



