244 
STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Among the many varieties of the beet the following may be 
enumerated as best adapted for agricultural and manufactur¬ 
ing purposes: The long red mangel-wurzel, the German red 
mangel-wurzel, the long white green-top mangel-wurzel, the 
long white red-top mangel-wurzel, the yellow globe mangel- 
wurzel, the Imperial, the Magdeburg, and the white sugar or 
white Silesian. The white or sweet turnip variety is the most 
desirable for general cultivation. Of this variety there are 
two kinds, viz: the white beet root with a rosy collar, which 
contains the largest amount of sugar ; and the Silesian, a white 
beet root, with a green collar, containing less sugar. The 
roots of the Silesian variety grow almost entirely below the 
surface of the ground, and owing to'their compact and firm 
texture, resist both frosts and spontaneous alterations better 
than any other variety. 
Those who are not only distillers, but who are at the same 
time growers of the beet root, and who endeavor to obtain not 
only an abundant crop of saccharine matter, but also a large 
crop in weight of roots per acre, may advantageously raise 
beets which yield even less sugar than the Silesian variety, 
and which contain extraneous substances prejudicial in the 
manufacture of sugar, but not in the distillation of alcohol. 
Among these varieties may be named the yellow beet of Ger. 
many, an oblong root, with a yellow pulp, the beet with 
a pale yellow skin and white pulp, only slightly elongated 
—a variety which has been found in some countries 
nearly as rich in sugar as the sweet turnip. It is customary 
in Europe for sugar factories and distilleries to supply 
the growers with seed, at the same time contracting for 
the crop when grown. The hkench factories generally furnish 
the Silesian beet root seed. 
To maintain the quality of the beet unimpaired it is necessary 
from time to time to renew the seeds, and select them with 
care. The simplest means which can be employed for this 
purpose is a salt bath, into which the beets are plunged, and 
their density ascertained. The sweetest beets sink to the bot¬ 
tom, and are preserved for seed. By careful selection in this 
