Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-09-05
sgGAR BEET CULTIVATION.

SVOA1 BEET CULTIVATION.
Edward +. Dyer, Of the Avarade
(Cal) Sugar Refinery, was recently
awarded BY the Department of Aericul.
turs . prize Of sl1o0 for the best AZ
tioie on tbs cultivation Of sugar -bsetl
and manufacture of best sugar. From
this article Ne have taken the part 70
lattns to the cultivation Of sugar bests
which will be found reproduced below
A deep friabls loam il the most suit
enis soil for growing sugar beess.
Cold. damp and alkaline soils are un.
suitable. AL lands that are free from
summer months, have been found to be
pro6taels IN this climate for growing
sugar bests.
Tho planting season commences on
the high lands as early a. March, and
ends With the lower lands in the latter
part OF May. As early in the season a
practicable the land is ploved from
twelve to sixteen inches deep, narrowed
and allowed TO remain undisturbed I'm
the vegetation plowed under has d.
oayed. A second blowing. which sho1Id
not be over four or Ave inches deem, q
then necessary. After this the surface
u thoroughly polvsrized and relied.
II the rainy season be over, seeding d
deferred from ten to twelve days. Saed
soWn on freshly -ploVed coil viii eor-
inmate Immediately. Should 10
weather then become warm and dry,
the moisture will recede from the eur
face, the germs die and the seed be Lost.
Il 10 a facs peculiar to this olinate,
that, after the rainy season 10 over, a.
little or no rain falls until the next
winter, the moisture necessary for plant
life rises to the surface from below.
The seeding Ia done by means OF Q
drill, made especially for this purpose,
sowing Ave rows, fifteen inches apart a
time. To insure q good stand Of
bests, lpon which depends the success
Of the crop, from twelve to fifteen
pounds of seed is soWn to the acre.
Transplanting rootlets from thickly
grown places TO barren spots has proven
failure.
Thinning should be proceeded with a.
soon ~ the beets are fairly up. Beets
allowed 10 20 too long before thinning
receive q setback during that operation
from which they never fully recover,
and short crop is the result. From
four 10 six inches apart Ia the proper
distance for thinning. Experience has
taught ~ that close planting 10 the most
profitable for both the farmer and
the manufacturer. Beets grown closely
will grow entirely under the ground, be
rlchsr, yield greater weight per acre,
and be lees exhausting to the soil.
The beets first sOwn become ripe as
early AZ the middle of August. At this
period the beets are frequently polar
ized. and only the riPest fields allowed
TO be harvested. The most popular
method Of digging the beet IL by means
Of a plow that greatly resembles sub
soil plow with the mole board and share
taken OF. leaving only tho standard and
plow point TO 60 into the ground. This
arrangement loosens the beets without
bruisinQ them or exposing them to the
sun or frost. The leaves are severed by
hand with one blow Of the knife, which
necessitates leaving the green neck Of
the beet adhering to them, which with
the leaves Ii left on tho ground to de-
cay, and its constituents to 20 back into
the soil. The climate being 20 mild
here SLIDING IL dispensed with. The ex-
oess Of beets not required for the days
run. 10 placed adjacent 70 the factory in
long triangular piles, about i've fest
high and eight feet wide, and covered
with straw, to be taken TO the factory
when required. by means Of Q oar rum
ming on o trAmway.
The value Of beet for sugar making
purposes ID shown by the percentage Of
sugar it contains a. compared With its
sugar Quotient or co-eflcleut Of purity.
In order to ascertain the percentage Of
sugar AID the sugar quotient an anAly-
sis n necessary, which may b made
quickly and With adequate exactneas BY
means of . polariscops and saooharo-
meter. and 10 done a. follows: The bests
are grated TO 6ne pulp and the juice
expressed; its density 10 found by means
of . Brix or BallinR sAochar0meter,
which indicates directly the percentage
Of solid matter In the juice. The per-
centaQe Of sugar is determined By the
polariseope. The sugar Qu0tient 10 that
per cent. Of the solid matter which b
sugar. -
< juice contains 10 per cent. Of solid
matter and has II per can't. OF sugar.
Then 80 per cent. OF the solid matter
(l2-l6 equals 10 per oent.) II sugar, and
u what 10 termed the sugar Quotisnt.
Bsses With len than 8 per cent. Of sugar,
and With sugar quOtient OF lee than.
70 pr cent, would not be profitable 70
manufacture into sugar In this country.
Several authors have written tables CIV
Ina the value Of the beets according 10
the specific gravity OF the juice. Tho
pfactical sugar maker can readily -
the fallacy Of such statemsnks.
Thers being 90 many machines for
~ A0o~n AaAh hs~ ~tAc,
individual merit, and ~ much nov be-
ina written in the EnQlish language d.
ooribin9 them, that it 10 not neceonAxy
ton. However, ] would cay that the
hltsys, revivifyina kilna, oentrifugals,
pomps and snainss manufaetursd in the
United States Are equal 70, and In many
instances Tar Superior, 10 thoss made In
~ following result was obtained
from 3 Aeld Of dve aofss near the fao-
tory, The coil u q we'll drained. light,
loamy. aIluvial coil. No fertilizer used:
Oout por aoro for ultivation-0rss plow-
ine, Il inches oeep, q; 6r1t narrowing.
90 cents; second ploVinQ, 8 inches deep
n IS; second narrowing and rolling,
IL; seeding. 8 esnts; thinning. Weed-
IND and di0gina. 42S; pounds Of SD
oovn pse acro, tb; ooet Of sd pr
pound, % eonts; kind of sd soWn,
VsgbsGsoees. Imperial, Rooa; oooroo Of
samo, rrod Knaney, Germany; distance
botvesa rows, - inches; distance BE-
tveoo roo1s. { to 6 inahse; aveRAes
WEIGHT oe roots. ~ po1nds; yisld per
aseS, SA.u toas; priss paid per toa. e4.60;
fnknl Voluo pog ongo, 1l66
Density q juice. l.05l7; pr hundred
Of iuioo-sueas. l6.l; salts and esRanic,
40; dagrse of purity, e8.6; yield pr acre
offoanod sugar, ., - pounds; value Per
pound, la; value per asrs. esoe ~
This 4 ues Q phsnomeuAi yield. tor u
| has besa equallsd and sxoeedsd By ssv-
eral fa1uofa both this and las1 esaaou.
| n oeFvoo % ehOW what can b doos On
eood anll h1 peopaR anIliya&ion. Tha