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vitation the first Institute was held iu that place. In the afternoon Professor 

 Charles A. Goessman of the State agricultural college at Amherst, addressed the 

 meeting on Sorghum and Sugar Beet crops. He was listened to with close at- 

 tention, and the interested way iu which the farmers have been talking the mat- 

 ter oversince, shows that his statements produced a very decided impression. 



Abstract of Professor Charles A. Goessman's Remarks on Sorghum and 



Beet Culture: 



The modern Sugar Beet is the result of experiment, selection and cul- 

 tivation. It was known in its inferior varieties as far back as 1774, and it 

 was in that year that its saccharine elements were first discovered by a Prussian 

 chemist. Through his solicitation government aid was obtained, and a manufac- 

 tory established where positive though small results were obtained, the propor- 

 tion of sugar secured being but about three per cent. Some years later Napoleon 

 I. , casting about for some means to supply France with sugar otherwise than by 

 importation from her enemies, took the matter in hand and pushed it to a practical 

 success. From such small beginnings the enterprise has gone steadUy on, till 

 now the average proportion of sugar obtained from good beets is 13, 14 or 15 per 

 cent., with instances on record of 18 per cent., while the culture of the beets and 

 the manufacture of sugar has become one of the great staple industries of Europe. 



To insure success in sugar beet culture strict attention to several practical 

 conditions is uecessar-y. The seed, whatever variety be chosen, must be of the 

 very best. A poor quality will certainly make itself manifest in a diminished per 

 cent, of sugar, if not in other ways. The soil mtist be a deep sandy loam, per- 

 mitting the roots to strike far down and the rootlets to branch out ; a heavy clay 

 interferes with this, while if the ground is too sandy it will quickly leach any fer- 

 tilizing matter that may be applied. The character of the fertilizers used is of 

 the greatest importance. Sugar beets contain phosphoric, saccharine and ni- 

 trogenous elements. The effort must be to increase the proportion of saccharine 

 constituents while keeping the nitrogenous at as low a figure as is compatible 

 with the i^roper development of the roots, for the tendency of nitrogenous pro- 

 ducts is to rapid decomposition, and if the beets are too well supplied in this re- 

 spect they cannot be properly kept from harvest time till the close of the manu- 

 facturing season. Therefore, sugar beets should never be fertilized with animal 

 or barnyard manures. The mineral fertilizers, such as superphosphate and pot- 

 ash are the only ones suitable, potash ranking with the best. Occasionally, how- 

 ever, beets may be successfully raised on soil treated to animal manure the previ- 

 ous year. If the object of cultivation is merely to raise a root-crop for feeding 

 purposes, barnyard manure may sometimes be used to advantage. 



The sowing must be done just as early as possible in the spring — as soon as 

 the ground can be property w^orked. When the beets are aboiit three inches 

 above ground they should be judiciously trimmed to control the size : the largest 

 are by no means the best, those of medium size containing a greater proportion 

 of sugar. Care must be exercised as growth goes on to keep the roots entirely 

 covered iu the earth, this being absolutely essential to securing the best saccha- 

 rine qualities. No manure should be applied while the beets are growing, as that 

 tends to make them rank, and worthless for manufacturing purposes. The har- 

 vest takes place sometime in October, usuaUy about the middle. In gathering 

 the roots it is important to avoid cutting or bruising them in ^,ny degree, as tlijit 



