190 THE SUGAR BEET. 



meter, we may consider that they have arrived at a 

 nearly complete state of maturity, and for that reason 

 the desired moment is near at hand. If this is passed, 

 a decrease of the saccharine and an increase of the 

 saline elements will he noticed. Gasparin and several 

 others made a series of experiments wishing to prove 

 that before beets could ripen a certain number of de- 

 grees of heat were required, but in consequence of 

 similar trials we made in Pennsylvania, we have I'ea- 

 sons for doubting the truth of this theory. The num- 

 bers we obtained in multiplying the days of each 

 month by the corresponding mean temperatures were 

 so different for the American soil that a comparison 

 between the two would have but little interest. An- 

 other method for ascertaining when the roots are ripe 

 is to cut one in two. If the color changes at once 

 they should be left for a certain number of days in the 

 ground ; if, on the contrary, the change is not rapid, 

 turning first to red then to brown, the moment for 

 harvesting is near at hand. A rule given by many, 

 which would be absurd in America, is to watch the 

 leaves,^ when these turn from green to brown the mo- 

 ment approaches,; but, when the heat of our summers 

 be considered, above all during the early part of August, 

 this change would have no signification whatever, and at 

 which time a beet sugar factory could not commence 

 operations even if the roots had attained to the requisite 

 state. The extraction of the beets from the ground can 



' See "Leaves." 



