THE JOURNAL 



OF THE 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE 



Vol. XVII. No. 10. 



JANUARY, 1911. 



THE CULTIVATION OF THE SUGAR-BEET.* 



The sugar-beet, of which there are many varieties, has 

 been derived, like the mangold and garden beet-root, from 

 the wild Beta maritima or Beta vulgaris of the sea coast. 

 In appearance it somewhat resembles a small white-fleshed 

 mangold, but it lies more deeply in the soil, has a longer 

 tap-root, and is harvested with greater difficulty. During 

 the past thirty years the sugar-beet has become of ever- 

 increasing importance as a source of sugar for human con- 

 sumption, until at the present day it represents an annual 

 trade of many millions sterling. The percentage content of 

 sugar in the best types of sugar-beet thirty years ago was 

 much lower than at present, but the care bestowed in the 

 form of cultivation and selection has steadily increased the 

 amount of sugar present, as is shown by the following 

 figures (Wood and Berry) : — 





Sugar 





Sugar 





in Juice. 





in Juice. 



Year. 



Per cent. 



Year. 



Per cent. 



i860 -I 



... I093 



1882-3 



... 13-60 



1868-9 



... 11-34 



1885 



I4"00 



1870-2 



,.. n-8o 



1886 



... 1 5 -oo 



1873-4 



... 1265 



1889 



... 15*04 



Since the last date quoted (1889) sugar-beets have been still 

 further improved, and roots are now raised containing 16 

 to 19 per cent, of sugar, most of which is extractable. 



Owing to the conviction that the cultivation of the sugar- 

 beet is commercially possible in the southern half of Great 



* This article is based on the general practice of sugar-beet growing on the 

 Continent, especially in France and Germany. A list of the authorities referred 

 £0 is given at the end of the article. 



3 K 



