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The principal differences between the ash of the roots, and of 
the leaves, are the following : The ash of the roots contains from 
three to four times as much phosphoric acid ; from one half to two 
thirds as much chlorin ; about one thirteenth more alkalies; a little 
less lime, and two thirds as much magnesia. The most important 
of these differences is the smaller quantity of phosphoric acid in the 
ash of the leaves, the larger quantity of chlorin, and, not the dif- 
ference in the quantity of the total alkalies, but in the ratio of the 
soda to the potash in them, which has been stated to be 1:1, roughly, 
with exceptions in favor of a higher soda ratio. 
Apropos to the question of this ratio in the beet ashes, I no- 
tice a great variation in the analyses taken from Wolff’s tables- 
The ratio for soda to potash is 1:2, and in toe analyses of Champion 
and Pellet, it is 1: 6. In my samples the ratio varies from 1:1.8 to 
1:5. The largest amount of soda was found in samples from section 
3, and the next highest was found in a sample representing the Farm 
plot, supposed to be entirely free frooi alkali, and which is in most 
excellent condition. I have no analysis of the soil from the Farm 
plot, but as it was a piece of old alfalfa sod, there was probably an 
abundance of available potash present. 
The principal effects of the alkali upon the beet crop were, in 
cases where the alkali alone was in question, that the percentage of 
sugar was scarcely affected at all, but rather beneficially than other- 
wise. That the nitrogen content was increased, and the ash content, 
also, by about 2 per cent. 
THE FOOD REQUIREMENTS OF THE CROP. 
I, of course, hoped to find this plant so tolerant of soda salts 
that it would utilize soda in its economy in place of potash, and 
thereliy to be able to remove them from the soil, or at least to fore- 
stall their accumulation to a deleterious extent. As touching this 
particular object, the study leads to an adverse conclusion, or, at best, 
leaves it in serious doubt, for, with two exceptions, we do not find 
the amount of soda removed to be dependent upon the relative quan- 
tities of this compound in the soil. In the two cases in which larger 
amounts of soda than normal, or what appears to be normal, were 
removed, one could and the other could not be attributed to an al- 
kalized condition of the soil. But we are enabled, by the establish- 
ing of a general composition for the ashes of the beets, and of the 
ratios between the roots and the tops, and the dry matter in each, to 
give the requirements of this crop in Colorado in quite definite 
terms. If we assume a crop of fourteen tons to the acre, and this 
will be a good average crop for our section, we have a total of from 
294 to 384 pounds of mineral matter removed by the roots. This is 
on a basis of 1.05 per cent, ash in the fresh beets, grown on good 
soil, and 1.3 per cent, for beets grown on alkali soil. The tops will 
