140 THE SUGAR BEET. 



is very nnmcrous, and a selection is most difficult; even 

 a combination of two or three having given good results 

 in some cases would not necessarily in others. For 

 that reason, having a given soil, it is a question of 

 years' experience to ascertain actually what fertilizer 

 would be most suitable for that particular locality, 

 for even on soils having the same chemical compo- 

 sition, the results would not be the same, unless their 

 physical texture be also alike, and for that reason 

 better apparent results have been obtained on some 

 soils without manure than on others on which have 

 been applied large quantities of organic or chemical 

 fertilizers. But a question arises as to whether the 

 quality of these roots is equal to others when the yield 

 has not been as great, and could it not happen that a 

 given chemical, potassa, for example, or organic nitric 

 elements in excess, was the cause of the same yielding 

 roots in large quantities but having no saccharine 

 qualities, giving perfect satisfaction to the farmer 

 while being ruinous to the manufacturer ? And for this 

 reason we consider it advisable before coming to any 

 definite conclusion to make a comparative calculation 

 between the yield and the quality of the roots pro- 

 duced. To ascertain actually what fertilizer is best 

 calculated for a given soil many experiments are neces- 

 sary, and from the results thus obtained we may con- 

 clude almost to a certainty what would be the best 

 composition for our complete manure to have. These 



