64 
Sugar-Beets and Beetroot Distillation. 
experience has shown that the portion of the root, which in 
badly worked land grows out of the soil, is much poorer in 
sugar than the lower part covered by soil. For this reason it 
is well to draw the soil round the roots as closely as possible 
when the crop is horse- or hand-hoed. In proof of the fact 
that the lower part of beetroots grown in the soil is richer in 
sugar than the top part grown out of it, two analyses of a sugar- 
beet grown in Berkshire may be quoted. The lower part of the 
root weighed 2 lbs. 8 ozs., and the upper and somewhat green- 
coloured part weighed 5 ozs. ; and an analysis of two separate 
portions of the root furnished the following results : — 
Lower part. 
Upper part, 
Weighing 2\ lbs. 
Weighing 5 ozs. 
87-20 
*Albuininous compounds .. 
•82 .. . 
2-39 
3-08 .. , 
3-73 
8-05 .. 
4-24 
Pectin, colouring matter, &c. 
•89 .. , 
•40 
1-11 .. . 
2-04 
100-00 
100-00 
'Containing nitrogen 
•1.31 
•382 
Specific gravity of juice 
1-0535 
At a temperature of 
59" F. 
The top part thus contained only about one-half the amount 
of sugar which was found in the lower portion of the same root, 
and it, moreover, abounded in albuminous compounds and saline 
mineral matters, constituents which are great impediments to the 
extraction of crystallizable sugar. 
Roots containing only 4 per cent, of sugar, as much as 2 
per cent, of saline mineral matter, and about the same quantity 
of albuminous compounds, are practically useless for the manu- 
facture of sugar. For this reason the greenish-coloured top 
part of beets is cut off in the factory before the roots are reduced 
to pulp by the rasping machinery. 
The proportions of water and sugar in other roots grown in 
Berkshire in 1869 were the following : — 
Per centage Per centage 
No. of Water. of Sugar. 
1 • 80-4.5 .. .. 11-04 
2 82-74 .. 8-79 
3 81-50 .. .. 8-63 
4 83-55 .. .. 8-88 
5 82-92 .. .. 10-55 
6 83-44 .. .. 10-32 
Composition of Sugar-beets grown in 1869, in Ayrshire, by the 
Right Hon. T. F. Kennedy, Dalquarrhan Castle, Mnybole. — One 
root weighing 3^ lbs. was analysed separately, and 3 other roots, 
weighing respectively 4 J lbs. 2ozs., 4Jlbs. l^oz.,and 3J lbs. were 
analysed together as one sample, with the following results : — 
