— 17 — 
protect the beets against severe freezing. A sample taken De- 
cember 19 showed 12.7 per cent, of sugar, and co-efficient of purity 
81. Another sample taken at the same time, and sent to Grand 
Island, Nebraska, showed, sugar 13.7 per cent., purity 86. My check 
on this showed, sugar 13.12 per cent., and purity 81. This is as 
close as can be expected, when it is considered that the samples were 
not parts of the same beets, and both had dried out to some, but 
probably to different, degrees. 
On December 30, I took another sample and obtained, sugar 
12.54 per cent., purity 85. The last of the beets were dug January 
7, 1898, and showed 12.92 per cent, sugar. This is the average of eight 
beets tested individually. We see that, in this case, in which the 
variety was Kleinwanzlebener, taken from the same plot, we have a 
difference of less than 1 per cent, in the increase of the sugar from 
October 6 to January 8, but there is a positive increase, and it is not 
to be accounted for by the shrinkage in the crop. It would not be 
just to take the result obtained at the Grand Island factory as the 
maximum, because these beets had dried out to some extent. There 
is no question but that the determination is correct, but the sample 
was no longer representative. 
I believe that this plot of beets represents the average sugar beet 
grown in this section of the state, and, so far as my observation goes, 
it represents the beets of the state. The average found by this Sta- 
tion from 1887-1896, inclusive, is 12.8 per cent, sugar, which is es- 
sentially the same as shown by the crops grown at the Station this 
year, and analyzed within a few hours after being pulled. 
The time elapsing between the pulling of the beets and the mak- 
ing of the sugar determination, together with the care of the sample, 
is of the utmost importance. Indeed, there is no difficulty at all in 
making a most excellent showing for a very poor crop of beets. 
THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE SUGAR IN THE BEET. 
This question was raised incidentally during our study of the 
feeding value of the trimmings of the beets — that is, the tops of the 
beet removed. It has been claimed, and experiments made to show, 
that the percentage of sugar present in the beet increases from the 
ton downward. 
X 
My time did not admit of my extending the series of analyses 
too greatly, so I have taken the larger sections, thirds, by weight. 
If there is any difference of sufficient magnitude to be of any prac- 
tical importance, we should find it between the first and third thirds, 
numbering from the top downward. 
The beets used were of the Kleinwanzlebener variety, freshly 
dug, and of medium size. The crown was not removed. 
The sugar beet, with us, grows almost wholly under ground, 
and the question of crowns is of much less importance than in some 
other places. 
