02 THE SUGAR BEET. 



root ; these representing the older leaves, we may con- 

 clude that they have furnished the larger portion of the 

 saccharine elements.^ These facts being known, we 

 consider that the quality of beets for sugar manufac- 

 ture improves with the number and weight of its leaves. 

 A series of experiments made by the writer and others^ 

 will be sufficient to demonstrate the seriousness of this 

 hypothesis. 



The roots which we analyzed gave the following 

 results : — 



Saccharine percentage For 100 lbs. of beets 



in the root. weight of leaves. 



15.0 55 ll)s. 



14.8 53 " 



!4.7 57 " 



14.3 52 " 



14.0 50 " 



13.T 45 " 



12.0 41 " 



Such being the case, we made several new tests, and 

 found that it not only held good for a given weight of 

 roots, but for each one in particular. 



' See " Study of the Sugar Beet." 



' Experiments by Champignon and Pellett : — 



Y Grams vilmorin amelior6e 



) Simon Legrand 

 [ Ordinary 



Ordinary seed 



2d i 



■ ' Ordinary culture 



>.l 



For 100 k. of root Sugar per cent. 

 (224 lbs.). in the root. 



. 56" of leaves. 14.5 



