214 



Beet Sugar in United States. 



United States, but many improvements have already been 

 introduced both into the machinery of the factory and the 

 methods of cultivating the roots. 



From the experience chiefly of European countries the 

 United States Department of Agriculture has come to the 

 conclusion that, so far as temperature only is concerned, the 

 most suitable climate for sugar-beet to attain its perfection is 

 one where the mean summer temperature {i.e., during the 

 months of June, July, and August) is about 70 deg. Fahr. 

 This condition is found in North America in a belt of about 

 200 miles in width, extending in a westerly direction from 

 the State of New York, across the continent as far as the 

 Rocky Mountains, and then turning south to the Mexican 

 frontier, while nearly all the country to the west of the 

 Rockies is also within this temperature zone. It is this belt 

 which is known as the theoretical sugar-beet zone of the 

 United States, although it is to be understood that other 

 conditions, such as those of soil, rainfall, etc., may render 

 parts of it unsuitable for beet culture ; and, on the other hand, 

 other circumstances may render the plant profitable in some 

 localities outside the zone. In this connection it may be 

 noticed that a deficient rainfall does not appear to be 

 necessarily detrimental to beet cultivation, as in some of 

 the more arid districts irrigation is freely employed, and, it 

 is said, with success. Two of the factories (in New Mexico 

 and Utah) secure their beets entirely through irrigation. It 

 has, however, been noticed that in some sections where 

 irrigation is common the beets are subject to a disease, 

 although it cannot be said with certainty that irrigation is 

 the cause. 



The experiments conducted by the Department of Agricul- 

 ture have consisted in the distribution of some seven tons of 

 beet-seed to farmers willing to grow the plant on experimental 

 plots ; the beets grown are tested for sugar contents and 

 purity, and then a study is made of soil, moisture, and 

 climate. Some twenty- eight States participated in the 

 experiment. Instructions as to the proper method of cul- 

 tivating the beet were also supplied by the Department ; but 

 it would appear that these were not always adhered to, as 



