D. M. FERRY & CO’S DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 
19 
SUGAR beet 
Vilmorin*s Improved 
Sugar Beet. 
Sugar Beets are desirable not only for the manufac¬ 
ture of sugar, but are invaluable for stock feeding 
and table use. They are deservedly popular both on 
the farm and in the small garden. No one that raises 
. beets of any kind should fail to plant at least a trial 
bed. Our list comprises tiie best strains on the market. 
11 The best soil for Sugar Beets is a rich, friable sandy or clayey 
fi ua loam. They cannot be profitably grown on a tenacious wet 
clay or a very sandy or excessively hard and stonj* soil. Rich 
mucky soils will often give an immense yield of roots which 
though excellent for feeding are of little value for sugar mak¬ 
ing. Most farm lauds capable of producing a good 
crop of corn or wheat can be made to grow a good 
crop of beets. 
M A Nil DF Sugar beets do much better when the soil has been 
made rich for a preceding crop than when the fer¬ 
tilizers are applied the same season. The use or rank, undecomposed 
manures, or such as contain a large amount of nitrogen, will result in 
large, coarse roots of little value for sugar making. If the condition of 
the ground necessitates the use of a fertilizer the current season, the 
greatest care should be taken to have it evenly and thoroughly mixed 
with the surface soil. 
In general the most 
desirable beet for the 
sugar factory is the 
one containing the largest 
percentage of sugar. In this 
variety we have one of the 
richest sorts in cultivation, 
and moreover it will do bet¬ 
ter on new’ lands than any 
other variety, suffer less 
from an excess of nitrogen, and 
will keep the best. In size it is me¬ 
dium or a little below, yielding 
from ten to sixteen tons per acre, 
and containing, under favorable 
conditions, as nigh as eighteen per 
cent of sugar. The beet grows Be¬ 
low the surface. The green leaves 
are smooth edged and spreading. 
Pkt. oc; Oz. 10c; *2 Oz. 10c; 
^ Lb. 15c; Lb. 35c. 
Sppn There is no crop where the quality of the seed used is of greater im- 
portance than this; inferior seed cannot by any amount of skill in 
cultivation be made to give a satisfactory yield. A great deal of most patient and 
skillful labor has been expended in establishing and developing strains of beets 
which are adapted to sugar making. It is only by the use of the best seeds that 
profitable sugar making is possible. 
D Igntin6 ^nrl The great secret of successful and economical culture 
■ UI1U of beets is thorough preparation of the soil before 
f*|i|f*S flft -wtk planting. The seed should be planted as soon as the 
. M Turnip soil can be gotten into good condition, which is not 
likely to be before the middle of April, but the seed should be in before the last of 
May. We plant in drills twenty to thirty inches apart, dropping 
from twelve to twenty seeds to the foot. This will require from 
ten to fifteen pounds of seed to the acre. It is very important that 
the seed be w ell covered with not to exceed one inch of soil pressed 
firmly over it. As soon as the young plants have started sufficiently 
to make the rows visible they should be cultivated and the field 
should receive constant attention so as to keep the surface soil 
loose and destroy the starting weeds. When the beets are 
about two or three inches high they should be thinned so as to 
stand six’ to eight inches apart in the row, and cultivation 
should be discontinued as soon as the roots have commenced 
to form. Often a crop is injured by late cultivation which 
starts the plants into fresh growth when they should be ma¬ 
turing and developing sugar. Sugar beets ripen and become 
fit for harvesting as distinctly as do potatoes or corn, and 
they indicate that they are approaching this condition by the 
outer leaves turning yellowish and the top seeming to decrease 
in size ow ing to the curling of the central leaves. They should 
be gathered and stored when ripe or mature, for if left they 
may start into fresh growth, which lessens the proportion of 
sugar. The successful cultivation of beets rich in sugar 
requires rotation of crops, however rich and good the soil may 
appear to be. 
Wanzleben 
A little larger than Vilmorin's 
Improved, and containing about 
the same amount of sugar. Its 
yield of beets is from twelve to 
eighteen tons per acre. The beet 
grow’s below the surface. The 
green leaves are rather large and 
spreading with wavy edges. A lit¬ 
tle hardier and easier grown than 
Vihriorm’s Improved. Probably 
the best sort for the experimenter to use. 
Pkt. 5c; Oz. 10c; 2 Oz. 10c; \ Lb. 15c; Lb. 35c 
French White 
Sugar Beet. 
BEETS for stoc k feeding 
FRENCH WHITE SUGAR RED TOP. Formerly used for sugar making, 
but the smaller, richer sorts have largely taken its place for this purpose. 
The numerous green leaves are quite erect and the elongated, egg-shaped 
root is tinged with red at the top, and contains about twelve per cent, of 
sugar. It is very hardy and productive, yielding about twenty tons to the 
acre. A most desirable sort for stock feeding. 
Pkt. oc; Oz. 10c; 2 Oz. 10c; % Lb. 16c; Lb. 35c. 
LANE’S IMPERIAL SUGAR. This is a larger, coarser beet than the 
French White Sugar. It is more like Mangel Wurzel in character, but the 
white flesh is much sweeter and tenderer. It is sometimes used for the 
table. Pkt. 5c; Oz. 10c; 2 Oz. 10c; Lb. 15c; Lb. 35c. 
FRENCH YELLOW SUGAR. Grows to a large size; roots half long, yel¬ 
low and sweet. Excellent for stock feeding. 
Pkt. 5c; Oz. 10c; 2 Oz. 10c; * Lb. 15c; Lb. 45c 
Klein Wanzleben 
Sugar Beet. 
french 
Very Rich 
A variety with large, 
long roots yielding from 
fourteen to twenty tons 
per acre, and often con¬ 
taining as much as 
eighteen per cent, of 
sugar. The roots are 
below the surface. 
The green leaves are 
upright in growth. The 
hardiest and easiest 
grown. 
Pkt. 5c; Oz. 10c; 
2 Oz.lOc; % Lb.15c; 
Lb. 35c. 
We will supply 5 Lbs. or more of Klein Wanzleben, Vilmorin’s Improved and French Very Rich Sugar Beets at 
25 cents per pound, by Express or Freight , at Purchaser's E.qjense. 
