— 32 — 
the total dry matter of the crop. From September 22 to October 13, 
there is an average increase in the percentage of sugar present of, 
say, 3 per cent., and the crop increase was still greater ; but the total 
dry matter is practically the same, only one variety showing an in- 
crease of 1 per cent., while another shows a decrease of almost as 
much, 0.86 per cent. The evident explanation is, that there is a trans- 
formation of some of the solids during this period. The following 
table gives the amount of this transformation between September 
22 and October 13, for the four varieties of sugar beets grown on my 
plot. 
THE AMOUNT OF DRY MATTER OTHER THAN SUGAR TRANSFORMED. 
Date. 
Variety. 
1 Average Weight of Beets, 
j Grams. 
1 Per Cent, of Total 
j Air-Dried Solid. 
j Per Cent, of Sugar. 
Grams of Air- 
Dried Solids. 
Grams of Sugar. 
Grams of Solids 
1 ther than Sugar. 
Per Cent, of Solids 
Other than Sugar. 
September 22 
j Kleinwanzlebener 
781.50 
17.55 
8.37 
137.15 
65.41 
71.74 
9.18 
Vilmorin 
765.80 
15.94 
7.71 
134.10 
59.04 
75.10 
9.08 
Lion Brand 
553.20 
17.73 
8.41 
98.00 
46.53 
51.50 
9.11 
Imperial 
.562.10 
17.79 
10.22 
100.00 
57.50 
42.50 
7.56 
October 13 
1 
; Kleinwanzlebener 
866.80 
16.69 
11.76 
144.80 
103.30 
41.. 50 
4.79 
! Vilmorin 
775.90 
17.08 
10.94 
! 142.50 
84.90 
57.60 
7.42 
Lion Brand 
838.80 
18.01 
12.76 
151.00 
107.40 
43.60 
5.19 
Imperial 
695.50 
17.80 
13.65 
123.60 
94.90 
28.50 
4.09 
The same relations hold good for the percentage of total solids, 
not sugar, in the Kleinwanzlebener and Vilmorin varieties from 
the Farm plots on the 13th of October, as is shown in the above table 
for the other samples. Tliey have been omitted because the data for 
September 22 were lost. The above series includes representatives 
of my whole plot, though, as I have pointed out elsewhere, a por- 
tion of the beets might, and perhaps ought to be, excluded, because 
of the excessive wetness and very bad tilth of the ground in which 
they grew. Still they do not obscure the general rule that there is a 
very materially less quantity of solids, not sugar, on October 13 
than there was on September 22. It would be interesting to estab- 
lish what this loss may be due to, and what the nature of the total 
solids, which disappear, may be. 
The leaves have been supposed to play an important part in the 
formation of the sugar in the beet; indirectly they may, but I be- 
lieve that the disappearance of the solids, not sugar, is the equiva- 
