36 
The Colorado Experiment Station 
i hese analyses present the fullest statement of the composition 
of Gentian beets that I have found and they represent samples of 
cossettes from six factories. The details of the methods used are 
fortunately given with sufficient fullness to enable one to know on 
what basis the results may be compared with others. 
As already stated, I have chosen as standards of comparison 
one sample of beets from Montana, one from Michigan, and one 
from Colorado, grown in this, the Poudre Valley, section. The 
German results may serve as guides to aid us in judging, but not as 
standards of comparison for our beets. The Montana beets were 
grown in a sandy loam soil, probably alkaline. The Michigan beets 
in a non-alkaline soil, and the Colorado beets in a soil which was 
probably alkaline but under favorable conditions. The historv of 
the field in which the Colorado sample was grown was as follows • 
soil, sandy loam, fifth year in beets, no fertilizer of any kind had 
been used on it; plowed 25 March 1910, seed planted 15 April 
plants blocked and thinned 15 June, irrigated 10 August and 1 Sent’ 
The supply of water was small. The yield was ten tons per acre, 
ana the peicentage of sugar in the beets as they were delivered at the 
factory by the wagon load was from 16 to 20 percent. 
I he methods of analysis used were the same throughout the 
season and are sufficiently indicated by the statement of the analyses. 
in t0 th \ fact T that we have exceptionally large percentages of chlorin 
as ITule the r me S t a e in 7 e ^ StatinS the com P° sition of the pure ash given, 
the ™ etalllc sodium or sodium and potassium corresponding to the 
St atom + a ^ 01 , incluclin £ the Chlorin and its oxygen equivalent in the same 
in the Inrh™ \ W ?'^ mtroduce to ° bl S an err or in cases in which the chlorin 
n the carbonated ash equals from six to twelve or more percent, otherwise the 
iTaZTL 0 * T S t analyses iS the con ™ntlo„a, one. S Mn S thi acids Is 
h yd rids and the bases as oxlds. The silicic acid has been omitted from the 
sail'd due to™*. *“* “ e P ° rtl °" ° f “ is line 
Andrlik states that the amounts of injurious ash and nitrogen 
are safe criteria whereby to judge of the quality of beets. He de¬ 
fines injurious ash as the sum of the alkalis, sulfuric acid and chlorin, 
end injurious nitrogen as the difference between the total nitrogen 
and the sum of the albuminoid, ammonia and amid-nitrogen. In 
the six analyses quoted vve observe that the injurious ash varies from 
0.3 to 0.4 percent of the weight of the beet, while the injurious nitro¬ 
gen yariesfrom 0.07 to 0.14 percent of the beets. I have been 
unable to'find any statement of the lowest amount of injurious ash 
which is to be considered as decidedly objectionable, or stated other¬ 
wise, the permissible amount of injurious ash. In regard to the 
injurious nitrogen, however, it is stated that the injurious nitrogen 
multiplied by ten gives approximately the amount of amido-acids 
and betam. It is further stated that on calculating these substances 
on one hundred parts of sugar that we obtain from 3.7 to 9 3 parts 
