Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1889-01-31
BEE HIVE,
BEET SUGAR.

~>e~@ ~~>~S'
Last season w. G.. Buderus of this
city, received from Washington, from
the commissioner of agriculture, a guam
tity of sugar beet seed. This he gave to
several farmers Of this vicinity to test.
At the conclusion of the season the beets
were found to have done better than the
most sanguine expected. They were
large and to all appearances an unquali-
fed success. In order to obtain accurate
advices concerning their sugar making
qualities Mr.. Buderus shipped samples
to the department for an accurate and
close analysis. The returns were re-
ceived last Friday. The following letter
shows the results:
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
WASHINGTON, d. c., Jan IT, 1889.
w. C. BUDERUs, Sturgis, Oak.
DEAR SIR:-The two samples of beets,
one rose-colored and the other white,
which you sent under date of Jan. 10,
arrived in good condition and have been
examined in the Chemical Division with
the following results:
ROSE COLOR.
Total solid matter in juice .............. 2O. 40
sugar IN as is.s ~
WHITE.
Total solid matter in juice. 81 AZ
Sugar in Juice. y G3
Purity co-efhcient. 1897
The samples show a high percentage
Of sugar but also with high percentage
Of solids not sugar, thus reducing the
purity co-efficient This is probably due
to the long time which has elapsed since
the beets have been harvested.
Respectfully,
NORMAN J. CoLMAN,
Commissioner Of Agriculture.
These reports are extremely gratifying
and prove conclusiHely that these veg
etables can be grown most successfully
here. Mr.. Buderus, after the beets had
been gathered several weeks, sent on a
sample to Washington, but on their ar
rival it was discovered they had been
frozen and consequently were entirely
useless. On receiving word from the
department to that effect another lot Of
samples was shipped from which the
above analysis was made. These beets
after having been out of the ground
three months lose great deal of their
saccharine qualities and hence it is found
that the period Of profitable manufacture
extends to only about one hundred days.
The length Of time these beets had been
out Of the ground accounts for the large
per cent of 'ssolid in juice" mentioned
by the commissioner. If they had been
tested Immediately after their gathering
the per cent Of saccharine matter would
have been greater and there would have
been a corresponding increase in the
'purity co-efficient.'
To show how high these Black Hills
beets range in sugar we will compare
them with those of Germany the great
sugar beet country-and the Grand
Island, Nebraska, beet. In 1872 the
average yield of the beet in sugar in
Germany was S.25 per cent. By better
manipulation greater care in the choice
of variety, in the cultivation of the root,
and constantly improving machinery
the percentage of sugar has yearly stead
lily increased, until in 1887 they secured
10 per cent. France during the same
years ran up its percentage from $40 to
9.05, where it now remains.
The Grand Island beets, grown in dif-
ferent fields and from different varieties
of seeds, have been carefully analysed
and the result shows a percentage of
sugar running from IL to 20 per cent,
and the average has been placed at 16
per cent. This astonishingly high aver
age is attributed by experts to be due to
the climate, and perhaps more largely to
the soil.
In Germany the yield per acre is about
twelve tons; the average yield at Grand
Island is from twelve to fifteen tons per
acre.
1t will be seen by these comparisons
that our beets, on first experiments, have
proved that they can be most success
fully raised here The first experiments
in Germany showed a percentage Of
sugar Of 8.25. Ours at the start shows
q per cent Of from 1892 to 1903. Ger