Deterioration Sugar Beets Due to Nitrates 109 
foliage was so abundant that the loss of a considerable number of 
leaves did not make a great difference in the appearance of the field. 
The results produced by the potassic chlorid, 400 pounds per 
acre, are presented in the following statements: 
No. 
1_ 
9 
3.... 
Total 
Sugar Nitrogen 
Percent Percent 
13.1 0.23700 
11.8 0.24715 
12.2 0.34510 
Nitric 
Nitrogen 
Percent 
0.02510 
0.04111 
0.05120 
Injurious Injurious 
N per Ash per 
100 Sugar 100 Sug. 
1.04240 4.8114 
1.17790 6.5580 
1.62910 8.2453 
This amount of potassic chlorid may possibly have produced a 
little effect upon the quality of the beets but all the samples are still 
so bad that there is no reason at all for entertaining a hope that it 
will be feasible to profitably produce good beets by its use. 
The next fertilizer used was salt, sodic chlorid. I knew that 
this soil was very rich in chlorin, but I also knew that it was rich in 
potash and used the salt just as I used the potash to determine 
whether it would have any effect or not, though it seemed to be a 
case of “carrying coals to Newcastle.” 
No. 
1 . . .. 
3 
Total 
Sugar Nitrogen 
Percent Percent 
13.0 0.19020 
12.4 0.21545 
10.4 0.33970 
Nitric 
Nitrogen 
Percent 
0.01558 
0.03713 
0.08743 
Injurious Injurious 
N per Ash per 
100 Sugar 100 Sug. 
0.60077 4.8482 
0.74315 5.7885 
1.78750 12.0490 
The results are not decisive enough under the circumstances to 
justify any conclusions, but if, with a knowledge of all the condi¬ 
tions, one had to express an opinion, it would be that salt, sodic 
chlorid, gives more promise of producing good results than the other 
fertilizers used. 
This restatement of some of the salient features in the composi¬ 
tion of our beets gives us not only a clearer view of their quality and 
the characteristics of their composition, but justifies us in comparing 
the established quality and composition of beets grown with the 
application of saltpetre with the quality and composition of those 
grown on nitre-infected ground. For this purpose we will use first, 
the sample grown on newly broken sod land at Holly, Colorado, and 
in the extreme eastern part of the Arkansas Valley as representative 
of a fairly good quality of beets grown in this section; second, the 
sample of beets grown on desirable land with the application of 1,000 
pounds Chile-saltpetre per acre, and third, the sample grown on the 
third section of our bad land without the application of any fer¬ 
tilizers. 
Amount of Total 
No. Sodic Nitrate Sugar Nitrogen 
per Acre Percent Percent 
1 . Virgin soil 14.2 0.12530 
2 . 1,000 pounds 11.0 0.25505 
3 . Abundant in soil 12.1 0.23345 
Nitric 
Nitrogen 
Percent 
0.00358 
0.04983 
0.05370 
Injurious Injurious 
N per Ash per 
100 Sugar 100 Sug. 
0.37440 3.5295 
1.40267 5.4718 
1.04790 7.9285 
