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from their own plants. For this purpose the finest beets o£ former years are laid aside, namely 

 those which possess the desired qualities to the greatest degree. They are stripped of their leaves,, 

 however, without the upper part of the root being touched. After the beets have been kept 

 under sand during the winter they are planted in the spring so that they attain full develop- 

 ment and bear fruit, from which the seed is obtained. The mode of selection of sugar-beets, 

 is described in detail below. 

 ■ The sowing takes place in March. As a rule sowing-machines are used, which cut light 

 furrows in the soil, about one foot apart, into which the seed is put automatically. 

 • The young plants appear within a short time, and the field is lined with pale-green stripes. 

 Then the field is weeded for the first time by hand. In the North of France, Germany, 



Belgium, and Holland, la- 

 bourers, who earn their bread 

 by this kind of work only, 

 take charge of the beet-fields 

 until the harvest. Men,. 

 women, and children — all 

 the members of the often 

 large family— handle the hoe 

 with extraordinary dexterity. 

 A few weeks later the field is 

 cleared of weeds for the sec- 

 ond time, and as the plants 

 are now stronger and the- 

 leaves are more numerous 

 and larger, harrows drawn by 

 horses are often used, per- 

 forming the work much 

 quicker than hand labour. 



Then comes the thinning 

 — an operation executed with 

 small hoes (machines cannot 

 be used for the purpose). 

 The labourers' purpose is to- 

 kill some of the young shoots 

 without pulling them out, in 

 such a way that there is a 

 distance of about 7 or 10 inches between the remaining plants. Formerly this 

 distance was larger, as then the farmers wanted to grow beets with very bulky roots, but the 

 roots of the varieties grown nowadays contain just as much sugar although considerably 

 smaller. After the thinning the remaining plants are left to grow. The field is only 

 weeded now and then, and when the roots have attained a certain development earth is 

 once or twice drawn up so as to cover the upper parts of the roots which are sticking out 

 above the ground. It. has been ascertained after repeated experiments that the influence of 

 the daylight is injurious to the development of sugar in the roots. Gradually the roots grow 

 larger and -the percentage „of sugar they contain increases. 



According to the region where they are grown the harvest ranges from September to the- 

 latter days of November. Of course the best time is when the sugar has reached its maximum. 

 But it is not' always practicable to wait for this, as the percentage of sugar often increases, 

 even during the winter. Hence the time of gathering the harvest is often determined by the 

 requirements of the sugar industry. 



As soon as the right moment has come, the field is broken up with ploughs and the plants 



CENTRIFUGAL MACHINES IN A SUGAR REFINERY 



