102 THIS SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



plished by a deep, straight cut across the beet without whittling, including the base 

 of the rough portion of the top, from which the leaves grow 



It is important that the top of the beet be cut off down to the neck so as to in- 

 clude with the top all that portion of the beet to which the stems of the leaves have 

 been attached. "The object of removing this portion of the beet is to prevent the 

 mineral salts, which have accumulated in large quantities therein, from entering the 

 factory. These mineral salts exercise a very deleterious influence on the crystalliza- 

 tion of the sugar, and therefore should be removed. They are well fitted for fertili- 

 zing purposes and are of more value when left upon the soil than when removed to the 

 factory." These tops of the beets, with the attached leaves, are admirable for 

 fodder. 



Another important point in harvesting beets is to have them as tree from dirt as 

 possible. When beets arrive at the Nebraska factories, an average 50 Ibs is taken 

 from each load. They are tlien thoroughly washed and examined to see if properly 

 topped, then weighed again, the loss determining the tare. The greater the amount of 

 dirt on the roots or the more improperly they are topped, the larger is the loss in 

 weight or tare. The farmer not only has to stand this loss but he also bears the ex- 

 pense of hauling and handling this unnecessary dirt. Not only that, but the dirt 

 adhering to the roots is the finest part of the soil and very often the richest and best 

 portion, and in a few years, a surprising amount of soil is thus taken from the land. 

 Some careful beet growers not only try to deliver beets as clean as possible, but in- 

 stead of returning with their wagons empty, load up with the waste deposited from 

 the washer at the factory, which contains not only the rich earth that has been 

 washed from the beets, but also the tip ends of roots, etc, all of which possess ferti- 

 lizing value of importance. 



Several harvesting machines to both dig and top the beets have been tried but up 

 to the past season, all have been discarded. Numerous clever and practical minds are 

 at work on the problem and it is probable that a satisfactory machine to take the 

 beets from the soil and top them will soon be perfected. There are several very suc- 

 cessful machines for simply digging or plowing out the beets, several of which are 

 shown in the accompanying illustration?. 



The beets, after being topped, are then thrown into wagons, covered with sacking 

 and hauled to the factory, or stored in silos in the ground. In delivering beets 

 from the field to the factory, wagons hauled by horses or mules are usually employed 

 in this country. It is a question, however, whether a more economical method is not 

 possible, when the factory is in the midst of the beet fields. In this case, a movable 

 railway with light rails and sleepers, that could be moved quickly and cheaply as the 

 beets were harvested, would enable one horse to draw a car containing more beets 

 than the ordinary two-horse wagon will carry. An overhead trolley upon which bas- 

 kets of beets are drawn by ropes might be used, or on a large scale, where a factory 

 is equipped with electricity, a movable overhead trolley employing electrical power 

 to push the car along, might be feasible. Beets cannot be hauled by wagon more 

 than from 4 to 8 miles without its costing more than the traffic will bear. Of course 



