Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-05-30
Farm and Household.



Beet raising for sugar is attracting much
attention, this spring, among the farmers Of
Western Massachusetts,. At meeting recent
ly held in Northampton, number of farm
ors pledged themselves to raise 30 acres Of
the beets, provided the seed can be procured
in season for this years planting and that
they can be guaranteed 50 per ton for un-
washed beets as soon as they can be harvest
ed and delivered on the cars.
1t has already been demonstrated that there
is money in the sugar beet The crop can be
cultivated anywhere that Indian corn can be
raised, and it is found that the rich meadow
land Of the Connecticut valley is peculiarly
well adapted for its growth From 20 to %
tons to the acre is a fair average crop and as
many rs 20 tons have been raised, even in
Maine, where the soil and climate are far less
favorable than that Of the Connecticut valley
The first beet sugar was made in Germany
in the beginning Of this century. 1t has ex-
banded very rapidly during the last thirty
years There are now about fifteen hundred
beet sugar factories in Europe Twenty square
miles are planted with sugar betts in Germa-
ny alone.
For successful beet sugar making are re-
quired, first, the best varieties of seed sec
Ond, good tillage; third, proper fertilization.
Under these conditions success is possible
over all the Northern States. A good sugar
beet should contain at least twelve per cent.
sugar, and as little else as possible. A mel
low, deep, rich sandy loan is the best for SUI
gar beets. A heavy clay soil is unsuitable,
also a rich virgin soil, full of vegetable mat
ter in an undecomposed condition. The beets
should not grow too large, II weight from one
to one and one-half pounds each is the best.
The best yields of sugar run up to six, seven
and eight thousand pounds to the acre. The
average yield is from eleven to seventeen tons
of beets, giving from eighteen hundred to
three thousand pounds of sugar, besides mo-
lasses. The molasses is not fit for human
food, but is either fed to stock or distilled;
after distillation the residue is evaporated and
potash salts extracted, one factory alone in
Germany making two hundred thousand
pounds of saltpetre from this waste sub
stance. The leaves of the beets may be pack
ed in pits covered over, and kept for winter
feeding. Their value is estimated at about
six dollars per acre. In addition to this the
beet-cake from the factory left after extract
ing the sugar, amounts to about four thou
sand seven hundred pounds per acre, worth
for feeding purposes about sixteen dollars.
With proper rotation of wheat beets, fod-
der corn barley wheat and beets again, with
moderate fertilization for the wheat and fod-
der crops, the land is kept in good heart and
the fertility increases A sugar factory can
be built for S250OO capable of producing
fifteen thousand pounds of refined sugar
day Sugar beets at distance from factory
can be dried by artificial heat at a small cost,
and will then keep any length of time without
injury, and are transported at a cheap rate.
The leaves and beet-cake fed together with
little hay make excellent feed for dairy COWS.
giving good flow of milk and communicat-
ing no bad flavor to the milk or the butter.