BULLETIN" 199, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Table VII. — Analyses of sugar beets made by the sugar laboratory of the Bureau of 
Chemistry. 
Weight of sample. 
Per- 
cent- 
age 
of 
loss. 
Percentage of sucrose. 
Sample No. 
Before 
boring. 
After 
boring, 
plus 
stoppers. 
After 
drying, 
plus 
stoppers. 
Before 
drying. 
After 
drying. 
In- 
crease 
found. 
After 
drying 
(calcu- 
lated). 
Calcu- 
lated 
in- 
crease. 
1 
Grams. 
865.6 
603.0 
853.6 
1,082.7 
634.7 
566.6 
540.9 
864.7 
Grams. 
851.2 
600.1 
845.3 
1,066.0 
625.8 
562.3 
532.9 
851.9 
Grams. 
784.7 
554.7 
804.1 
979.4 
569.7 
513.4 
478.5 
800.9 
7.81 
7.57 
4.87 
8.12 
8.96 
8.70 
10.21 
5.99 
15.20 
16.35 
18.80 
10.85 
12.45 
13.90 
15.55 
12.05 
16.55 
17.00 
19.15 
11.05 
13.80 
14.35 
16.65 
12.50 
1.35 
.65 
.35 
.20 
1.35 
.45 
1.10 
.45 
16.49 
17.69 
19.76 
11.81 
13.68 
15.22 
17.32 
12.82 
—0.06 
2 
+ .69 
3. 
+ .61 
4 
+ .76 
51 
- .12 
62 
+ .87 
73 
82 
+ .67 
+ .32 
751.4 
741.9 
685.6 
7.58 
14.40 
15.13 
.74 
15.60 
+ .47 
1 No. 5 contained decayed spots. 
2 The tips of Nos. 6 and 8 were decayed. 
3 One of the stoppers of No. 7 was missing when received by the sugar laboratory.' This explains the 
greater evaporation indicated for this beet. 
Table VII shows distinctly that the percentage of sucrose in- 
creases as the water is withdrawn by evaporation. It also indicates 
that some inversion and decomposition take place even during 
so short a period as about 30 hours, the time covered in this series 
of tests. This inversion would become quite significant if the beets 
were exposed for several weeks or months, but in its application to 
the losses that might be sustained by the beet grower by delaying 
the delivery of his beets after they had been dug and topped for one, 
two, or three days, it is believed this inversion can be ignored. It 
will readily be seen, however, that when the farmer is instructed to 
silo his beets for weeks or months this factor should receive con- 
sideration. 
THE DRYING OF SUGAR BEETS IN VERY LARGE OPEN PILES. 
Sometimes the delivery of beets is too great for the shed capacity 
of the factory. Farmers are then instructed to store the remainder 
of their beets until further notice, which may be deferred for several 
weeks or months. Should the weather not be severe, the farmer may 
simply pile his beets in large pyramidal heaps in the open field; he 
may cover them with beet tops or in very cold weather with soil. 
Commonly he receives from 25 to 50 cents additional per ton for 
such beets. This, however, scarcely pays for the extra labor in- 
volved and takes no account of shrinkage through evaporation and 
inversion. 
An experiment was conducted to ascertain the extent to which 
evaporation might take place among large piles of beets when the 
prevailing temperature is comparatively low, as would be expected 
subsequent to the usual time for harvesting beets. 
