50 



must be taken not to bruise or wound them, as it 

 would tend to their being spoilt on being kept, 



Beets should be kept secure from frost, for manu- 

 facturing purposes. This root is very susceptible to 

 cold and it deteriorates if exposed to a temperature 

 higher than 40 degrees ; at 45 and 50 it germinates. 

 Frost softens the beet and destroys its sugar. A frozen 

 beet stays good, as long as it is not thawed, bu t as soon 

 as this sets in, the beet is useless for manufacturing 

 purposes. 



In Belgium and in France, beets are kept in pits: 

 For this purpose, a ditch is dug in a dry place, 4 feet 

 in depth and 5 feet in breadth, with a varying 

 length. Along the bottom there is a drain to air the 

 pit and drain off the water. The ditch is covered over 

 with long beets, and the pit is then filled up with the 

 roots, the top being arranged in the form of a roof 

 about two feet above the level of the ground. The 

 upper part is covered by about a foot of earth and it 

 is smoothed down with a shovel. To ventilate the pit 

 chimneys are placed at the ends or at regular distan- 

 ces, connecting with the drain, and these may be 

 closed at pleasure. 



Beets are often kept in the open air in heaps 

 5 or 6 feet in height and of irregular lengths- and 

 widths, ventilating shafts being set up, and the 

 heap is covered with a layer of bad hay, and at the 

 time of the frosts, a thick coating of earth is laid 

 against the end walls. 



But these precautions would be insufficient in 

 this country to ensure the beets against the rigors- 



