New Yorx AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 433 
No. 135, but the data obtained from such analyses possessed 
small value, owing to the fact that little was known about the 
detailed conditions under which the beets were grown. 
It was decided to undertake during the season of 1898 a num- 
ber of experiments in cooperation with carefully selected, repre- 
sentative farmers in several different counties. It has been the 
object of these cooperative experiments to study with care the 
following points: 
(1) The yield, composition and cost of sugar beets grown in 
various parts of the State under known conditions. 
(2) The effect of the use of commercial plant-foods upon the 
yield of beets, their composition, size, cost, ete. 
We publish separately a summary of the analyses of a large 
number of samples of beets that have been sent us for analysis, 
about which we have little or no knowlege in regard to the con- 
ditions of growth. 
The Station has carried on a special line of investigation on 
the Station farm, the detailed results of which will be Dee 
and discussed by themselves. 
The cooperative work was carried on at one or. more places, 
in ten different counties as follows: ‘Three places in Oneida 
county; two places each in Madison, Onondaga, Wayne and 
Cayuga counties; and one place in Oswego, Schuyler, Ontario, 
Seneca and Cortland counties. All the work is not reported 
here, because some crops were failures and some of those co- 
operating failed to carry out instructions in keeping records that 
could be used. The size of plats used varied from one-tenth to 
one-fifth of an acre. The beet seed and the fertilizer were fur- 
nished by the Station. Immediate direction of the work was 
exercised as far as possible through the personal supervision given 
by Mr. Geo. A. Smith on the part of the Station. 
In making analysis of the beets, 20 or more beets were used in 
securing a sample, as the analysis of this number was found much 
28 
