Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-12-18
For the VERMONT FARHER.
BEETs.

OF lnuuStrlal questions III the spirit OF rlul-
eule, and in the unintellgent manner of that
article, cannot but be very detrimental in its
effects, and entirely reprehensble.
l do not at this time propose to enter up.
on a general discussion Of the topic, as l
have neither the time nor the ability to do
it justice. | however propose to reply seri-
atm to sundry of the statements Of the
writer.
The first statement to whicn | wish to
call attention is " The quality II. Q. Of beets
grown in England, France, and Germany is
much superior to those grown in any part Of
our country, and there the most favored va
rieties yield an average Of only s per cent
of sugar."
DR.. Grant, recognized authority upon
this subject, says Of the product Of this sugar
in the ZOllverein, after giving the official
tables from 1910 to 1865, " The average
yield Of sugar for the past eight years has
been per cent, and of molasses about 2.4 per
cent but this includes, of course, the results
of all the poorly managed establishments,
many OF which are worked by the old proc.
ess. l have visited several establishments
where the. yield of sugar averaged 8 per
cent, and of molasses p to per cent,
throughout the season."
In France, too" he says, where the
whole average yield is perhaps rather less
than per cent Of sugar, l know Of estab-
ishments, working by improved processes,
where the yield is from II to 8 per cent Of
superior sugar, and from 3 to 81 per cent of
molasses.
The products obtained from beets in
France are in about the following proper
ton Pulp, 20 per cent sugar, per cent !;
alcohol, ! per cent; potash, l-5 per cent; ;
soda, lilo per cent.
The pulp is the refuse Of the beet
after the extraction Of the juice. 1t is fed
to cattle and sheep, which are extremely
foud OF it, and are quickly tattened upon it"
The Italics are mine.
1T is worth from S2.75 to SO per ton at
the factories, aud is estimated to be worth,
for feeding purposes, one-tbird as much as
the best hay"
How does that compare with Mr. Waits
loose statement DR.. Grant further says
After the sugar is extracted from the
juice there remains from ten to twelve pei
cent of the weight of the molasses, in the
following salts, in the proportions given be-
low:
Carbonate of potash, 1923 per cent
Sulphate of potash, 2-46
llydrochlorate OF potash, 22.lO
Soda, a.i
Sulphur and divers matters, 81 "
10000
The soda aud potash are extracted at a
cost Of about three cents per pound"
So much for the constituents OF the beet
of winch your correspondent speaks so lightly
In regard to the statement that European
beets are richer than American, have a
hand large amount of testimony that pre-
cisely the reverse is true, but neither my
time nor your space will permit of my de
failing it here.
Dr. Grant says on this subject: " Tnr
quality Of the beet has been very mucl
improved within few years, and extraor
binary results have been attained, beets hav
ing been produced containing even as higl
as eighteen per cent Of sugar, and in one in
stance as high as twenty-one per cent.
Your correspondent next makes q mos
discouraging statement in regard to tn
preparation Of the land for beets 1t is tru'
that we'll drained and thoroughly trenche,
and manured land alone will produce sue
normous crops as 70 tons per acre, but DI
Grant says, The universal testimony Of tn
chemists, manufacturers and farmers, wit
whom couversed was that any good wheu
land was suitable for beets."
Hundreds Of the best farmers in th
country testify to the advantages of GROWN
beets not only for stock feeding 10 Pecuni
airy sense, but as making better stock, an
as improving the soil. Mr.. Waits story abou
Englands buying fertilizers, and that 92 90,
tons of phosphoric acid is all the meres
bosh. 1t does not tell anything. Ever
man of common sense knows that any Gro
raised upon the farm and fed out upon
improves it, and that is precisely the aC
vantage of root culture. The beet crop
never an exhausti9g one in proportion to tn
bulk Or value Of the crop itself, as compare
with any other crop grown in Vermont fc
feeding purposes. Suppose a crop Of
tons of beets does draw from the soil IL
: pounds of phosphoric acid, does not the ml
, nure made by the cattle restore it in mol
available form for the wheat crop of whiC
he speaks?
Tho hings of the writer at high cultur
! are damaging to the best interests of We
: mont agriculture just in proportion to Il
lodgment which they find in the minds
n Vermont farmers. The only hope of We
b mont as an agricultural state must be
Q high culture, thorough farming, and there
nothing which will contribute more to su
cessiul high farming than the culture of Il
u beet and its rival the turnip for stock fee
!. ing, and when l say for stock feeding
mean for every kind Of stock, from the chic
o ern TO the horse.
l have in my scant library, had time
u hunt them out, more than twenty Statemeu