GIFT OF. John S. Prell

SB

Z20

GIFT

OF

John

S.

Prell

PDF?.

SUGAR BEET

Hints

on

Cultivation

'FROM

HOLLAND.

COLLECTIVE INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION

in the

NETHERLANDS

PAVILION,

SAN-FBANCISCO,

SUGAR

BEET

SUGAR BEET

HINTS

ON

CULTIVATION

By

CARLYN

^ (I PRINTED

FOR

PRIVATE

CIRCULATION

BUTLER & TANNER

THE SELWOOD PRINTING WORKS

FROME AND LONDON

Preface

THIS booklet is _{published chiefly for} the

purpose of giving the farmers a general

outline of the _question of _{sugar beet}

growing.

There cannot _possibly be

_any

hard

and

fast rules to _{be complied with on}

anything pertaining to agriculture, as

many

things

depend on

climatic

condi-tions, the constitution of the soil,

and

other _{important points} for

which

genera-tions of farmers in _{every county}

have

had

to

make

allowance.

It has been _alleged that _sugar beet

growing should be conducted

on

similar

lines to that of _mangels.

To

the

Eng-lish farmer this

would

_simply

mean

the

substitution of one _{root crop} for another

of a similar nature^ with this difference,

that sugar beet will secure

him

a return

in

_money

without _having to transform

8

PREFACE

his _crop into _meat,

and

_thereby

_depend

on the _fluctuations of the

meat market

for his _profits.

It

must

_{be remembered, however,} that

sugar beet growing has features of its

own

_{and, contrary} to _{mangels, the} root

grows deep in _{the ground.} Therefore to

obtain _satisfactory results the soil

must

be ploughed deeply

and whenever

pos-sible

_up

to 10 in. or 12 in. This _deep

ploughing is the secret of _sugar-beet

cultivation,

and

when

to this is

added

the

right kind of

manure

for the soil, a very

large return for the outlay

may

reason-ably be expected.

We

have _{purposely given}

no

indica-tions in this booklet as to the cost of

cultivation

and

the _{yield per} acre.

The

chief reason for this is _{that sugar beet}

has never been

_grown

in

_England

_except

on

_{small patches} of _ground for _the

pur-pose of experiment,

and

therefore

no

reliable data are available for the time

being.

On

the Continent those _figures can be

PREFACE

9

been carried on on a _large scale for the

last

_twenty

or _{thirty years,} the total

acreage being at present approximately

four million acres that is, _nearly ten

times as

much

asthe whole _acreage under

mangel

cultivation in _England.

Another

_{important point} with _regard

to _sugar beet cultivation is that this

root can be

_grown

_year in _year out in the

same

_ground,

and

it will be found that

after a few _years the _crop will _give a

better yield than at first. It stands to

reason, of _course, that _proper

manure

must

be _applied so as to _give

back

to the

soil

what

has been taken out of it.

But

_{again the} secretof such results is,

as

we

have

_{said before, deep ploughing.}

We

have, in the course of our

experi-ments

carried out in _England,

met

_many

farmers,

and though

all were ready

and

willing to listen,

and

willing to try the

new

_{crop themselves,} consideration

was

givento the large acreage

which would

be required to feed a sugar factory in a given district the general impression being that it _{might displace} in time the

10

PREFACE

cultivation of _mangels,

and

so affect

the farmers in

_many

indirect

_{ways which}

were not _apparent at first.

Another

difficult _point to contend with is the

belief in

_many

counties that the farmers

may

expect anything

from

35 to 70 tons

of _{mangels per}acre.

We

even once

met

a farmer

who

had

_just

_grown

_mangels

about the size of a man's fist,

and

he

swore that he _got 35 _{tons per} acre.

We

know

that _{he probably}

meant

35 small

cart loads, transformed into tons in the

heat of discussion ; but so long as such

fanciful _figures are rooted _firmly in the

minds

of those interested in _agriculture,

it _{is, of course, hopeless} to _try to _{lay the}

mangel

ghost

by

any

manner

of means.

But

in the

same

_way

as the _{yield of}

sugar beet on the Continent is taken on

an _average of four million acres,

we

think it wise to tackle the

_mangel

_ghost

on _{the average yield} in _England.

From

the _{figures given}

_by

the

Board

of_Agricultureit is

shown

thatthe average

area returned as under _mangels in

PREFACE

11

409,230 acres, the _average annual yield

being 20*04 tons per acre.

From

these _figures

we

feel _perfectly

satisfied that the _advantages of _sugar

beet cultivation over that of _mangels

would

be _apparent,

and

that the farmer

in _{growing sugar beet instead} of _mangels

Avill save himself a waste _year in his

cycle of crops,

and

thus

make

an extra

profit,

which

isnotthe case with _mangels.

We

_hope

that this booklet

_may

be

founduseful,

and

we

takethis_opportunity

of

heartily thanking the

many

farmers

who

have

_earnestly taken

_up

this

ques-tion of _{sugar beet growing} in _England,

and

have

afforded us the

means

and

necessary knowledge of local _conditions,

fully trusting that they were helping the

wheel _{along the path of progress.}

LONDON,

July, 1910,

The floor above the DifTusers, in which .the _juice is extracted from the Beet slices.

HISTORY OF

SUGAR

BEET

ABOUT

160 _{years ago,} in _{1747, sugar}

was

first discovered in fodder beets

_by

the chemist _Marggraf,

and

the _question of

extracting it

was

_seriously taken

_{up by}

a few of the _leading scientists

on

the Continent.

At

the

end

of _{the eighteenth}

century, Achard, oneof_Marggraf's _pupils,

laid a _proposal for the erection of a factory before

King

Frederic William III

of Prussia.

This proposal

was

not _effectively taken

up

until several _years later

and

after

infinite _{difficulties,}

_{and though}

_Germany

was

thecradle of _{the beet-sugar industry,}

it did not succeed there at first, the

experiments being quickly superseded

by

those

made

in France under the auspices of the

Government.

Up

to that timeall the sugar

consumed

in the world

was

made

from

cane,

22

SUGAR BEET

tivated _mostly in British Colonies,

and

was

_brought to

_Europe

_chiefly

_by

the

British mercantile _sailing fleet.

There-fore the _prices increased _enormously

when

_Napoleon

issued the decree

known

as the Continental Closure, with a view to _{shutting the} Continental markets to

all _{English goods.} Prices of

from

15

to 50 _per cwt. were _paid,

and

this

was

naturally a great stimulus to the energy

of _sugar manufacturers on the Continent.

This

was

the chief reason for the erection

of the first _{beet-sugar factory} in _France,

where

_Napoleon

I took a keen _personal

interest in the

new

_industry.

When,

however, the Continental Clo-sure

came

to an _end, these exorbitant

prices decreased, the immediate result

being that the

young

beet-sugar industry

died,withthe exceptionofafewstruggling

factories.

These difficulties, however, ultimately

turned to the benefit of the _industry,

which became

_{self-supporting} as it

was

conducted on

more

scientific lines,

and

HINTS

ON

CULTIVATION

23

gave the lead to others. It

was

not,

however, until well into the forties that

they succeeded in bringing the

beet-sugar manufacture to the front as a

practical industry.

Sincethattimethe cultivation of _sugar

beet has increased

_by

_leaps

and bounds

in

most

of the

_European

countries,

chiefly Austria, Belgium,

Denmark,

France,

Germany,

Holland, Russia, Spain

and

_Sweden,

where

the total _acreage

under beet cultivation is _{approximately}

four million acres.

In the U.S.A. the _beet-sugar

manu-facture

was

taken

_up

much

later,

and

not until 1901

_{was any}

_special

encour-agement

given to this manufacture.

There were then _{sixty-three factories} in

that country,producingover 400,000 tons

of refined sugar, but since that time the

increase in beet cultivation has been

so great that

_by

1910 _forty

new

factories

were erectedto _{cope with} it.

It will be seen

from

the foregoing that

24

SUGAR-BEET

growing has been acquired

by most

of

the

_European

countries,

and from

experi-ments

made

it has been found _{that, given}

the _proper cultivation, sugar beet can

grow

almost anywhere.

The

_{importantpoints}ofcultivation are,

first : deep_{ploughing, rolling} and

manur-ing.

The

_drilling is

done

between _April 15

and

_May

15, according to the season,

and

after that the fields

must

_{be kept} in

proper condition

by

careful hoeing.

The

roots _begin to _ripen towards the middle

or

end

of _September,

_though

the _raising

of the _crops

_may

last till the end of

October.

HINTS

ON SUGAR

BEET

CULTI-VATION.

The

fields set aside for _sugar beet

growing are ploughed at least 8 in. _deep

in October or

_November,

_though this

first _ploughing

_may

be _delayed till the

beginning of January.

When

the

HINTS

ON

CULTIVATION

25

as

much

as _possible,

and

_{before getting}

ready for _drilling, the fields

must

be

levelled,

and

then,

when

the land is _dry,

rolled with a stone or

wooden

roller.

N.B.

_Though

12 in. _ploughing has

been found

most

desirable to obtain a

good

cropofsugarbeet, itisnot _expedient

to _plough

more

than 8 in. _deep

when

the

fields are _prepared for the first time.

The

_depth of _{ploughing can be} increased

year

by

year until a depth of 12 in. has

been reached.

Should the subsoil be of a different

nature

from

the surface _soil, it is not

desirable to disturb the former,

and

too

deep ploughing should in that case be

avoided.

One

of the _{great advantages}

of _{sugar beet} cultivation is that the crop

may

be raised

from

the

same

field _year

after year.

SOWING.

The

seed is

sown between

_{April 15}

and

May

15, according to the weather,

which

must

_{be dry} for this _work,

and

after the

26

_SUGAR-BEET

the weather be _wet, the _{last rolling}

_may

be _dispensed with.

The

seeds are drilled in rows

from

15-21 in. _apart,

which

should allow for _{horse hoeing}

when

the

beet is cultivated on a _large area.

The

seed

must

not be _planted

more

than _|in.

deep.

About

three weeks after the _drilling

is

done

_{the plants}

come

outof _{the ground,}

and

as soon as the rows are well visible

the fields

must

be hoed.

About

six weeks after the _drilling the plants will be about

from

1 in. to 2 in.

high.

The

growth

has then proceeded

far

_enough

to

show

_{that the plant} will

live.

Then

_by

means

of a hoe the

rows are

_chopped

out. In this

_way

the

rows are divided into _clumps of

from

three to six _plants, each

_clump

_being

about 10 in. _apart.

This_{choppingout proceedsveryquickly}

as _nothingelse is done at the

same

time,

and

the little _{chopped-out plants} are

simply left _lying on the field. _Singling

shouldtake_{place as}soonas it is_{possible to}

28

_{SUGAR BEET}

This plant

must

be _pressed

down

_gently

between

two

_fingers so as not to disturb

the root, while with the other

hand

the

weak

ones are _pulled out. _Singling

requires great care

and

takes a _long

time.

A

_{fortnight after} the _singling the fields

are

hoed

_again,

and

after that

more

or

less _regularly

hoed

_according to the

condition of the fields.

MANURE.

After the

autumn

_{ploughing apply}

6 to 8 cwt. _{Superphosphate, ordinary}

quality at 14 per cent. ;

and

also 6 to 8

cwt. _{Kainite per} acre.

When

the_drilling

is _being done _f cwt. _per acre of Nitrate

of

Soda

are _{put on} the land,

and

f cwt.

more

Nitrate of

Soda

when

the _plants

are

_chopped

out

and

are about 1 in.

high.

About

a _fortnight later a _third

appli-cationof Nitrate of

Soda

should be

made

;

this time _{1J cwt.} should be used.

30

SUGAR BEET

Soda

_may

be strewn over the land in a

dry state, or diluted with water before

application is made.

For

_light

_sandy

or _peaty soil the

quantity of

manure

per acre should be

slightlyincreased ; the proportion should

be roughly as follows

Superphosphate -^ . .

.10

cwt.

Kainite ... ,. . . . 10

Nitrate of _Soda, First _Application . 1 ,,

Second . 1

Third . 2

N.B. Basic _{Slag may} be used instead of

Super-phosphate.

RAISING

THE

CROP.

The

_crop is raised between

_September

15

and

October 15, according to the

season

and

time

when

the fields are

drilled.

Under

_ordinary conditions the

beets _{are ripe}

when

the leaves _begin to

turn _yellow, but it sometimes

_happens

that in _{very dry weather} the leaves will

turn _yellow earlier. If after such a _dry period wet weather sets in, the aspect of

Healthywell-shaped Sugar Beet.

32

SUGAR BEET

the fields will _{again change to green,}

because

new

leaves are _forming. This unfortunately affects the quantity of the sugar being

formed

in the beet. It

must

benoticed thatunder_ordinaryconditions,

the _change

from

_green to _yellow in the

beets

means

that the beet has _stopped

growing but continues to

make

sugar,

and

_{the crop}

must

be _{raised shortly} after

the _change in the colour.

As

soon as the beets are taken out of

the _ground the _tops should be cut off

with a knife, _applied at the place where

the first leaves _{have grown.}

The

_{beets are piled}

_up

in small _heaps

on the _fields, covered with _{the tops} to

keep

them

as dry as possible

and

protect

them

in case of an _early frost.

When

the fields are _ready the beets are carted to the _factory, the _tops

remaining

on

the fields. These _tops

_may

be used

_by

the farmer as fodder for the

cattle.

When

pulling out the beets to cart

them away

they should not be

damaged

How to use the fork for loosening the Beet before pulling out. In light soil the fork is not needed.

HINTS

ON

CULTIVATION

35

should be taken not to break the

1

thin end.

BYE-PRODUCTS

FROM

THE

FACTORY.

To

_{obtain the sugar} in

them

fhe beets

are _{passed through} a _slicing

machine

and

reduced to a _pulp,

from which

_{the sugar}

is extracted. This _done, the _pulp is

dried

and

_{then forms an important} cattle

food,

which

isinvaluableto_{dairy farmers,}

as

shown

_by

_{the following analysis}

DESICCATED BEET PULP.

Per cent. Digestible -farinaceous matter . 58

Indigestible fibre matter" . . 17

Albumen . . . 7 Sugar . . . .. . . . 4 Fatty matter . . . . 1 Ashes . . _.-'"..

.3

Water 10 100

To

use this dried _pulp as fodder it

36

SUGAR BEET

liquid, of

which

it will absorb five times

its

own

_weight ; having absorbed this

liquid, the pulp will then swell out to

about three times its _original volume.

QUANTITIES TO BE GIVEN TO CATTLE.

Cows . 7 to 10 lb. per day and peranimal.

Oxen . 9 to 14 lb. ,,

Calves . 1 to 5 lb. ,, _accordingto_age.

Pigs , 2 to 4 lb.

A

_{great advantage} of this desiccated

pulp is that the addition of inferior

foods to it is _{immediatelynoticeable,}

and

thus

an

_{impossibility.}

A

further

advan-tage is that the _pulp retains its

_good

qualities for

any

length of time if _kept

in a _{dry place.}

MOLASSES.

Molasses are the _bye-product of the sugar syrup

from which

all the crystalii

z-able _sugar has been extracted. There

remains, however, a certain _quantity of

sugar

which

cannot be crystallized,

and

to this _sugar the molasses

owe

their

HINTS

ON

CULTIVATION

37

shows

that in this _{respect they} are a rich food

Per cent.

Sugar . . .

.49

Water 20

Ash . 12

Organic matters (non-sugar) . 19

100

For

use as cattle food these molasses

should be dissolved in such a _quantity of

water as to enable

them

to be _easily

mixed

with other articles of _dry food.

QUANTITIES TO BE GIVEN.

lb.

To_{Horses perday andper ton}live-weight 7

Milch Cows ,, ,, ,, 6

Oxen

,,7-9

Fattened Cattle ,, 9

Pigs 12

When

the animals are not used to

molasses _{food they should not be given}

the above-mentioned quantities all at

once, butshould be gradually

accustomed

to it.

Molasses food _prevents colics,

and

has

a _splendid influence

on

the _quality of

38

SUGAR BEET

SATURATED LIME.

The

raw

_juice extracted

from

the beet

pulp contains organic impurities which

have

to be removed.

To

do

this both

lime

and

carbonic _{acid are used,}

and

after

the _{operation they}

form

a _precipitate containing about 33 per cent, of

carbon-ate of lime in a

most

active state. This

carbonate, called saturated lime, is in

itself a _very valuable _manure, its effect

being to increase the assimilative

power

of the soil. It_{has, moreover,} a chemical

as well as a mechanical action, the

pre-sence of _{the lime quickening the}

decom-position of the organic

and

inorganic

elements of the soil.

The

saturated lime _contains, besides

carbonate of _lime, a _{large proportion} of

the _organic matters _originally absorbed

by

the sugar beet, chiefly potassium

and

phosphoric acid,

and on

that account its

use as a

manure

is _{strongly advocated.}

Saturated lime is of course _mostly

recommended

for use

_{on heavy}

_land, its effect, entirely mechanical then, being

to render the soil

more

friable

and

HINTS

ON

CULTIVATION

39

FARMERS' CALENDAR.

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER.

Deep

ploughing. Manuring. APRIL. Harrowing. Rolling.

APRIL-MAY.

Drilling.

First _application of Nitrate of Soda.

Rolling (if weather dry).

MAY.

(about three

weeks

after drilling)

First hoeing.

JUNE.

(two weeks later)

Chopping

out,

Second _{application of} Nitrate of Soda,

Singling.

(Two weeks

later) Third application of

Nitrate of Soda.

JUNE-JULY.

Keep

the fields in

_good

condition.

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER.