— 19 — 
because if this is attained, both the quantity and quality of 
the crop are almost necessarily correct. 
If the beets receive no set back, they make a large 
growth, ripen early, and at the end of the growing season, 
get rid of much of the impurities in the juice, and store up in 
the root a large amount of pure sugar. If, however, for 
any reason the growth of the beet is checked, even for a 
few days, the ripening is delayed for a much longer period; 
if the check is severe the beets will never ripen, but start a 
second growth that will keep on growing until killed by the 
frost. 
Provided the beet grower has given the proper care, 
the actual date of ripening will then depend on several con- 
ditions, some of which are beyond his control. If the 
ground is very rich it will tend to increase the size of the 
beets and retard the time of ripening. But an important 
fact is to be remembered in this connection. No matter 
how rich the ground is, if the beets are properly cared for, 
they will eventually ripen and be all the better, both in 
quantity and quality for the abundance of plant food that 
has been at their disposal. But the richer the ground is 
the easier it is to start a second growth and produce an 
enormous weight of crop of a poor quality. 
An abundance of moisture in the soil retards the ripen- 
ing of the beet, so that if the fall is unusually rainy the crop 
will be late in maturing. In Colorado it is true in general 
that the crop will not ripen until the vigor of the growth 
has been checked by frost. 
The fall of 1897 northeastern Colorado was excep- 
tional, in that the frost held off two or three weeks later 
than usual and more than the average amount of rain fell. 
If, then, under these adverse natural conditions, a fac- 
tory could have started September 25, it is fair to presume 
that under average conditions it could have begun opera- 
tions several days earlier. 
In this connection it is important to note the fact that 
on September 18, there were found at Sterling, two fields of 
beets that were fully ripe, weighing ten and sixteen tons of 
beets respectively per acre, and the beets of a good quality 
for factory use. This shows that with extra good care 
these beets had been brought thus early to merchantable 
condition in spite of the unfavorable weather. What these 
two men did, others similarly situated, could have done by equal 
care. Both of these crops were on medium to light soil. It is 
probable that no one on a heavy clay soil could have brought 
the beets to ripeness by this early date. 
