New York Agricutturat ExprRIMEent STarion. 29 
Sugar beets.— During the past season, much attention has been 
given to the sugar beet crop. Besides somewhat elaborate experi- 
ments on the Station farm, we have co-operated with 18 
farmers growing half acres of beets in eleven counties in Central 
New York, and have distributed small quantities of seed to a large 
number of other farmers. In all, 343 samples of beets have been 
analyzed, including those from the Station experiments and those 
grown from seed distributed by the Commissioner of Agriculture 
in Eastern New York. The observations of 1898 are in line with 
all previous records. In quantity and quality New York beets 
appear to compare very favorably with those produced in other 
parts of the world. 
Composition oF Sucar Berets Grown 1n 1898. 
Total of season’s results, 343 samples: 


Sugar Sugar Purity 
in beet. in juice. of juice. 
1h a AE SE oe 7.4 7.8 64.1 
tn oh OR Sa a ie ee 20.2 21.2 90.0 
Tes ea ele a eg esate ino wt os 14.2 15.0 85.2 


The yields reported from the plats grown by farmers in co- 
operation with the Station varied from 8,670 to 58,990 Ibs, per 
acre, the lowest yield being on plats receiving no fertilizer and 
the highest occurring on muck land, the average being 26,720 
lbs. In these experiments the average per cent of sugar was 15.5 
per cent, which is over 1 per cent higher than the general average 
for 33 counties, which is probably due not so much to location as 
to better conditions of growth and culture. 
_ The figures given as the cost of growing these beets are chiefly 
valuable as showing the distribution of time, the expensiveness of 
- neglect in one or two cases and of a general unpreparedness for 
the work. Should the growing of sugar beets become generally 
established, experience and the possession of better machinery 
would certainly considerably reduce the labor cost of the crop, 
especially with large areas. 
