The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1918-04-24
YOUR WAR GARDEN.

| YOUR WAR GARDEN.
There is no question but that su-
gar will continue to be scarce during
all Of the year. Experiments have
proved the feasibility of producing in
the garden sugar beets and extracting
from them syrup to be used as a sub
stitute for most ordinary syrups. No
special tools or equipment are required
for either the culture of the beets or
the production of the syrup. The
method is approved by the United
States government and Iowa State
college. Ames, and should appeal
Especially to large families which have
a vacant lot garden as the children
can do. much of the: hand labor re.
CURED in growing thu beets. -,
The kXSt1f6 iss:given in advance
that NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. in grow.
ing beets- or producing the home made
syrup should not sexpect too much.
Care must be used in the boiling down
process, and the syrup will be dark In
color but Of good quality: 1t can be
used for all the ordinary uses ofscom-
I nerctar ~syrups, including table uses
and for the; making Of candies. IN most
ways it will prove good substitute
for sugar. A bushel of beets will pro.
duce from three to five quarts Of syrup
and a row of beets 100 feet long will
produce two or more bushels Of beets
| II care is taken In growing. In addi'
ton to their value for making syrup
sugar beets are the best of all root
crops for animal feed and are especial.
y valua BILE for milk cows and chick
ems. b.. o.
The seed can be bought in the city
and is comparatively cheap. Klein's
Wanzleban is the variety most COM
monty planted. The soil Is prepared as
for ordinary beets. Special effort
should be made to break up the soil
fine and take time to kill as many
weeds and weed seeds before the seed
Is planted as is possible, Avoid using
fresh manures now because too much
fertilizer produces large tops, to the
detriment OF the roots. 4
The seed, should be sOwn in rows;
one inch, deep and not too thick. II
horse cultivation or wheel culttvatoP'
Is to be used space the rows two or
three feet apart, but II the cultivation
is to be by hand; rows can be twelve
to eighteen inches apart, provided the
soil is rich When the young plants
have put out two leaves. the soil should
be broken up and stirred close to tho
rows. When the plants are three or
foar inches high the thinning should
be- begun and continued from time to
time until the plants stand six to eight
inches apart in the rows. Weeds
should be hand pulled in the rows, and
cultivation should be- frequent. Arrath
er long growing season is required to
bring sugar beets to maturity, 50 the
seed should be planted at once. Most
of'the beet root will be produced above
the soil.
When the beets are pulled cut Of |
the tops clear down to the roots and |
wash the beets in clean water and |
scrub them with brush to remove all |
the soil. They tl1en should be sliced
into very thin slices. This can be
done with either a knife or kraut |
cutter. A bushel of beets should be
cut into two bushels Of slices. The
sliced beets are then covered with VA. |
alter. A barrel may be used for this |
purpose, and after covering the beets
tie top Of the barrel or other vessel
used should be- covered tightly with
several thicknesses OF canvas, burlap
Or other thick cloth to hold in the heat
generated. >. The sliced beets should be
allowed to soak for an hour, and the
barrel should be agitated frequently |
without uncovering it. This process
separates the sugar in the beets from
the pulp and the sugar is held in sus.
pension in the water. d.. u.
The liquor should be carefully strain. |
cd through several thicknesses of |
cheese cloth when 1t is ready for boil. |
ing down. The boiling consists in |
simply placing the liquor in vessel |
such as wash boiler or something
else of convenient size, and slowly |
boiling it. When the juice has come to |
the desired thickness 1t should be !
poured while hot into jars and sealed |
tightly and put away for use.
The above are all the essential di.
rections. Those who desire detailed in |
struction on the whole subject should
address post card to the United
States department of agriculture
Washington, d. c., and ask for farm.
ers' bulletin No. 1923, or write Iowa
State College. Ames, for its bulletin
on the. subject. But those who want
this Information should prepare the
ground at once and plant the seed as
directed then write for the bulletin.