40 
Bulletin 58. 
TABLE IX.—SHOWING THE EFFECTS OF SOAKING BEETS ON 
THE SUGAR CONTENT. 
Year. 
Variety. 
Before Soaking. 
After 
Soaking. 
Number of Beets 
in Sample. 
Weight of Beets in 
Pounds. 
Pounds of Sugar. 
Purity. 
Pounds of Sugar. 
Coefficient 
of Purity. 
1898. 
Vilmorin Improved. 
34 
65.00 
8.2435 
76.5 
9.7657 
78.8 
White Imperial. 
30 
59.50 
6.8960 
74.0 
7.0420 
74.4 
White French. 
30 
67.40 
8.8698 
80.3 
8.8797 
86.1 
Kleinwanzlebener. 
30 
24.70 
3.3789 
77.0 
3.5644 
83.5 
1899. 
Zehringen. 
30 
35.12 
5.2020 
78.7 
5.6451 
84.4 
Zehringen. 
15 
18.43 
2.5913 
77.2 
2.7628 
83.8 
Vilmorin. 
30 
42.20 
6.6549 
82.0 
6.8959 
82.7 
Vilmorin. 
15 
19.25 
3.0560 
84.2 
3.1086 
82.5 
Average. 
5.6115 
78.7 
5.9580 
82.0 
§ 72. The samples taken were large enough to eliminate the er¬ 
rors in sampling, any effects of size of beets,' and also any effects 
which might be attributed to variety. The same experiment was re¬ 
peated twice in 1899, using two varieties. The series of experi¬ 
ments is wholly consistent in showing an increase in the amount 
of sugar after the seven days’ soaking. I regret that I have not 
tried this experiment with beets at different periods of their 
growth. The experiments recorded were all made with mature 
beets, and the formation of sugar was going on slowly and would 
probably have proceeded slowly if the beets had remained in the 
ground with their full growth of leaves intact. 
§ 73. The effect upon the coefficient of purity is quite as 
marked as upon the amount of sugar present. In one case, it is 
true, the coefficient of purity appears to have been lowered ; this 
may really be the case, but I am inclined to consider it an acci¬ 
dent, especially as the seven other experiments agree in showing an 
increase in the coefficient, while this one alone shows a decrease. 
THE REDUCING POWER OF BEET CHIPS. 
§74. Thinking that some light might be obtained on the 
preceding subject by determining the reducing power, shown by the 
beet pulp after the extraction of the sugars, reacting with alpha 
naphtol, by means of 80 per cent, alcohol, a series of experiments 
was made, in which the ground dried beets were extracted with 
