SACCHARINE CONTENT OF SUGAR BEETS 
very small when due regard is given to probable errors and a proper 
allowance made for difference in root weight, these results tend to 
confirm those of Vychinski (5), Karmrodt,^ and Marek,^who claim that 
flat foliage is correlated with a higher percentage of sugar than are 
leaves of the erect type. The semi-erect type, however, seems to be 
fully as desirable as the flat. 
The relationship of chlorophyll to photosynthesis suggests a possible 
correlation between color of foliage and sugar content but as an abund- 
ance of nitrates usually stimulates growth and imparts a deep green 
color to the foliage, and beets grown under these highly nutritive 
conditions are often low in sugar, the significance of color is not even 
theoretically established. The experimental results obtained are 
summarized in table IX. 
When due consideration is given to probable errors no constant 
relationship is exhibited between percentage of sugar and color of 
foliage. 
It has been fairly well proven that quantity of leaves^ and yield of 
sugar per acre are positively correlated, but the quantity of leaves 
per beet is difficult to determine at the time of harvest as beet leaves 
complete their growth in from four to six weeks, then gradually dry 
up and drop off as new leaves are developing. Therefore, the relation- 
ship was determined between sugar content and leaf dimension. The 
results are presented in table X. 
The data show that size of root and quantity of sugar increase 
with leaf dimension. 
As the character of the leaf surface may influence the amount of 
photosynthetic work done by the plant, two types, namely, smooth 
and wrinkled, were compared. Their average performance is ex- 
pressed by the biometrical constants of table XI. 
The chief difference between these types lies in their correlation 
with percentage of sugar. Beets having smooth leaves were the 
richer, which is directly opposite to the results reported by Vychin- 
ski (5), who claims that saccharine richness increases directly as the 
quantity of wrinkling. 
Three groups of beets were made upon the basis of leaf texture 
and their relative values recorded in table XII. As used in this 
5 Cited by Plahn (6). 
^ Cited by Fruwirth (i). 
7 Maercker, cited by Plahn (6). 
