8 
Bulletin 58. 
The rate of drying out of beets is about 5 per cent, for the first 24 hours, 
but by the end of five days it falls to about 2 per cent, and remains practically 
constant for the next twelve days. 
The weight of the leaves of Colorado grown beets equals about 87 per cent, 
of the weight of the roots. The weight of the leaves does not increase materially 
during the last six weeks of the growing season, but during this time the weight 
of the root increases by 64 per cent, of its weight at the beginning of the period, 
or 39 per cent, of the weight of the mature beet. 
The presence of alkali increases the weight of the leaves very slightly, but 
has no marked influence on the date of maturing. 
As the sugar is formed there is a disappearance of dry matter, other than 
sugar, in the beet, suggesting the formation of the sugar in the root by the 
transformation of substances already deposited therein. 
The effect of alkali upon the percentage of ash in the roots is to increase 
it by about 2 per cent., reckoned on the dry matter. 
The composition of the ash of the beets seems not to have been affected by 
the different character of the soils experimented with, either because there was 
so great an abundance of available, and to the plant, acceptable, mineral matter 
present that it was not affected by the presence of a large quantity of other salts, 
or the composition of the ash of the sugar beet is very constant. I think that 
the latter is the case. The composition of the ash is represented by the following 
approximate percentages: Sulphuric acid, 3.5; phosphoric acid, 7-9; alkalies, 
48-52; lime, 2-3; magnesia, 6; chlorin, 11.50-14.50; carbon dioxid, about 15. 
The ash of the beet leaf has a general composition which, like that of the 
beet, is the same throughout the season, except that there is an increase in the 
chlorin as the plant approaches maturity. 
§ 9. The trials in different parts of the State in 1897 aroused 
sufficient interest in the possibilities of the sugar industry in Colo¬ 
rado, for the resources of the Station to be supplemented by aid 
from the United States Department of Agriculture, from the 
Chamber of Commerce of Denver, and from various counties in the 
State. This aid was largely given through the solicitation of the 
Chamber of Commerce, and was principally in form of prizes to 
induce growers to compete for good results. The field trials were 
directed by Prof. W. W. Cooke. Over 800 analyses were made by 
the Station. The results of these tests, together with the study of 
the best methods of growing sugar beets, is given in Bulletin 51. 
§ 10. Some additional tests on methods of cultivation, dates of 
planting, distance between rows, and irrigating the seed are given 
in Farm Notes, Bulletin 57, by Prof. W. W. Cooke. These are 
the results of cooperative trials with growers in different parts of the 
State. The same bulletin reported the results of the tests made 
throughout the State in cooperation with the Department of 
Agriculture and the Chamber of Commerce. 
