The Cultivation of the Sugar-beet. [jan., 



Britain, farmers are now taking considerable interest in the 

 subject, and endeavours are being made to demonstrate 

 practically the profitable character of the crop in relation to 

 its conversion into sugar in Britain. Farmers are being 

 asked to support the foundation of factories for the manu- 

 facture of beet sugar by undertaking to 'raise a definite 

 acreage of the crop and supply the produce to the factories at 

 a rate per ton agreed upon beforehand. 



The general principles underlying the cultivation of the 

 sugar-beet are therefore of interest to British farmers, and it 

 is proposed to give a few notes showing the importance of 

 the crop and the manner in which it is grown on the 

 Continent. 



The Importance of Sugar-beet to Agriculture. — Hollrung 

 says that in Germany the cultivation of sugar-beet has raised 

 the yields of grain, rendered possible the keeping of more 

 stock, and consequently increased the output of dung for 

 the benefit of soil and crops. On one farm, which com- 

 menced growing sugar-beet in 1883, the average yield of 

 wheat for the six years 1883-8 was 17 bushels (of 60 lb.) per 

 acre, but in the years 1889-1894 the average yield had risen to 

 19*8 bushels per acre. In a district of Hildesheim the stock 

 kept before and after the introduction of sugar-beet growing 

 (1870 and 1890 respectively) were as follows : — 



1870. 1890. 



Work Oxen 106 594 



Cows and other cattle 3 A3 1 5A&9 



Young stock 732 1,087 



Fattening cattle 635 2,681 



Pigs ... . ? . ... ...... .... ... 3,146 9,119 



Lilienthal estimated, on the basis of eight farms, that the 

 introduction of the cultivation of sugar-beet had led to the 

 folowing increases : — 



Increase of live stock in the ratio 100: 115 



Increase in corn production in the ratio 100 : 111 



Increase in dung production in the ratio 100 : 132 



Increase in wages in the ratio ". 100 : 141 



Increase in net profit in the ratio 100 : 134 



It is probable that these increases are to be attributed to 

 the introduction of a profitable root crop where such a crop 

 was not previously grown. The increases would not be 

 applicable in Great Britain, where root crops have long held 



