Gloucester County Democrat., 1899-07-06
SUGAR BETS.
Bits of Experience From the Station
at Geneva. n. Y.

Bits of Experience From the Station
at Geneva. n. Y.
Upon each of a number of farms CO.
operating with the Geneva IN. Y. sta
tion in sugar beet experimentation
three plats were used, one unfertilized
and the others receiving either 500
pounds or 750 pounds per acre of a
complete fertilizer. This was compound
ed from 1000 pounds acid rock, $50
pounds sulphate of potash, 450 pounds
dried blood and 200 pounds nitrate of
soda. It cost $24 ton. or So for the
small application, 50 for the larger one.
The 500 pounds application proved
more profitable than the greater amount,
as it produced an average increase in
the crop of 3.S74 pounds per acre, in
suring a net profit of 81. 26 per acre
from its use while $50 pounds gave an
average increase of 5.264 pounds per
acre, but the added yield would only
bring, at current prices, profit of 81
cents. The fertilizer did not exert a
marked influence upon the quality of
the beets; for while there was differ
ence in the amount of sugar and in the
coefficient of purity in some cases, the
differences were in opposite directions
in different instances; so that the aver
ages on fertilized and unfertilized plats
differed but slightly. The largest aver
age variation was a decrease in amount
of sugar in beets of one-half of 1 per
cent from the use of $50 pounds of fer
tilizer.
Special tests. as far as the averages
go, indicate that the use of ]. 500 pounds
or more of a complete fertilizer is at
financial loss, but that fhe use of 500
pounds is profitable, in these tests Civ
ing direct gain Of nearly So per acre.
Excessive quantities of fertilizer @, 900
pounds) seemed to lessen the amount of
the crop, possibly because of injury to
the seed. The quality of the beets was
somewhat lowered by the use of fertil-
izers, Independent of the quantity used /;
for the amount of sugar in the beets
was decreased 1 per cent. whether 500
pounds, 1000 pounds or 1900 pounds
was used. The coefficient of purity was
also slightly decreased.
In the use of stable manure the expe-
rience of the past season has given re-
suits directly contradictory to the ac-
cepted belief The manure was applied
at the rate of 30 tons per acre ON 10
plats, the application being made in the
spring. when thought most liable to ex-
ert an injurious effect on the quality of
the beets. Instead of increasing the size
of the beets at the expens4of quality,
the very opposite effect was produced,
for the manure grown beets averaged
slightly less in weight than those grown
without manure. The amount of sugar
in the beets was increased where ma
nure was used and the coehicient of
purity was increased from 49, 6 on the
unfertilized to S4.2 on the manured
plats.
On three of the stable manure plats
at the station the beets were thinned to
six inches apart in the row, on three
others to eight inches and on three 9th
ers TO ten inches. The yield. size of the
beets and the coefficient of purity in
creased with the distance between the
eets, with little change in the percent
lge of sugar.
OF fonr varieties grown from nine
sets of seed sent to the station by the
United States department of agricul-
ture, Pitzschke's Elite gave the heaviest
yield, nearly % tons per acre, with
sugar content of 14.2 per cent and
coeficient of purity of 81 Kleinwan-
zlebener from seed grown by Vilmorin
of France gave a yield of 81 4 tons, but
was much less rich in sugar Ole per
cent? and had lower coefficient Isl. 81
and Kleinwanzlebener from American
grown seed was next in order of yield
Q3 80 tons) and was somewhat better
in quality than the crop from French
seed.