Deterioration Sugar Beets Due to Nitrates 8i 
improvement was effected by potassic sulfate and superphosphate 
when applied separately, for the beets grown with the application 
of these fertilizers are something better in quality than those grown 
without any fertilizer. I have elsewhere stated that results on contig¬ 
uous half-acie paicels of this land varied so greatly, that one becomes 
doubtful as to the value of any result. Nevertheless this appears to 
be the fact, i. e., that phosphoric acid and potash applied separately 
improved the quality of the beets but the yield was not quite so good 
as on the plot which received 20 tons of lime per acre in 1909 and 
nothing in 1910 and only equal to the yield from the plot that had 
received no fertilizer either year. The two applied together, 
XXXIV, did not improve either the crop or the quality. The re¬ 
sults \\ ith the sodic mtiate are fortunately, in the main, consistent in 
showing a slight increase in the yield and a depression of the qual¬ 
ity. But these results are not without exceptions and other incon¬ 
sistencies. It happens that Analyses XV, XXVIII, XXIX, and 
XXX represent four successive half-acre plots and from Analysis 
XXX we would infer a depression of the injurious nitrogen from 
0.57 or 0.37 to 0.27 per 100 sugar caused by the application of 200 
pounds of superphosphate per acre and from XXIX we would infer 
a slight depi ession or at least not an increase of the injurious nitro¬ 
gen, but in XXXIV where we have the two applied together and in 
largei but not excessive quantities we find a decided increase in the 
injurious nitrogen. This is not due to climatic or cultural differ- 
ences. nor to differences in the soil. In Analyses XXXV, XXXVI 
and XXXVII we have another group which is capable of various 
intei pretations. If any conclusion be justified by the results of 
these experiments it is the one stated, i. e., that potash and phos¬ 
phoric acid tend to improve the quality of the crop, but not to in¬ 
crease it. while sodic nitrate tends to increase the crop, but to lower 
the quality. The actual increase, however, in either crcp or quality 
was so variable that no reliance can be placed in the use of these 
agents to increase the value of the crop, which was the purpose had 
in view. These features of our study agree with the gross results 
as heretofore stated. There were 28 experiments in this series but 
only these eleven samples were submitted to complete analysis'. 
There is one point in which these analyses agree, i. e., in showing 
less ammo nitrogen than the other samples which we have analyzed. 
It is difficult to believe that the variations in half-acre pieces of 
land, apparently the same, may be so great as to account for the 
variations in the results observed in these cases, but I am convinced 
that this variation constitutes an important factor in our results. 
The effects of previous fertilization may play some part, but with 
mineral fertilizers this is very small. 
The series of experiments with sodic nitrate was made with an 
