The improvement of the sugar-beet has long been studied by Continental agriculturists. The comparative values of the chief new sorts shown at the Paris Exhibition may be thus tabulated, premising that the figures given are not attained on a working scale The lestnamed is most esteemed where the duty is levied on the roots (Germany and Russia) ; it gives 15-18 per cent. of extremely pure juice.
Composition of the Roots.—Internally the root is built up of small cells, each filled with a juice consisting of a watery solution of many bodies besides sugar. These include several crystallized salts (most of which are present in minute traces only), such as the phosphatee, oxalates, malates, and chlorides of potassium, sodium, and calcium, the salts of potash being by far the most important ; and several colloid bodies (albuminous [nitrogenous] and pectinous compounds); as well as a substance which rapidly blackens on exposure to the air. The greater part of the sugar in ripe beets is crystallizable, and, when perfectly pure, is identical in composition and properties with crystallized es,ne-sugar ; but it is more difficult to refine this sugar so as to free it from the potash salts, and commercial samples have not nearly so great sweetening power as ordinary cane sugar. Beets contain no uncrystallizable sugar rthe molasses produced in beet-sugar manufactories is the result of changes which cannot be entirely avoided in extracting the crystallizable sugar.
Following are analyses by Voelcker of roots grown near Lavenham, Suffolk :— C7imate.—The mean temperature of the Continental beet-growing districts, and of those localities in England whero beets may be cullivated for sugar-making purposes, is about 16r-18° (62°-65° F.). The formation of the sugar is favoured not so much by a hot summer as by dry weather and unclouded sky during autumn : hence the root succeeds better in N. France and N. Germany than in Central France and S. Germany ; hence also the prospects of remunerative culture in Canada and New Zealand, and the failure in Australia. Nothing is so conducive to heavy crops as an abundance of rain during the first 2 months' growth of the plant. It would thus appear that the E., S.-E. and N. counties of England, with many localities in Scotland, and a portion of Ireland, are, so far as climate is concerned, well suited to the onitivation of the sugar-beet ; liut it has hitherto been very little encouraged by agriculturists.
Soil.—Tho best soil for beet contains a fair proportion of organio matter, is neither too stiff nor too light, and crumbles down into a nice fria.blo loam ; it must be capable of being cultivated to a depth ef at least 16 in. The subsoil should be thoroughly well drained, and rendered friable by
autunin-eultivation and free admission of air. A deep friable turnip-loam, containing fair propor tions of el,iy and lime, appears to be the most eligible land for sugar-beets. Lime is a very desirable element. Well-worked clay-soils, especially calcareous clays, are well adapted, if properly drained and of sufficient depth. Peaty soils and moorlands are quite unsuitable, as well as lands which are too dry, like the thin gravelly soils resting on siliceous gravel sub-soils, or too wet and cold, liko many of the thin soils above impervious chalk marl.
Speaking generally, the best soils for sugar-beet are precisely those on which other root-crops oan be grown to perfection, that is, land which is neither too heavy nor too light, which has a good depth, is readily penetrated by the roots, and naturally contains lime, potash, clay, and sand, as well as organic matter, in such proportions as in good friable clay-loams. An analysis of the soil should be made previous to planting it with the sugar-beet, as the salts presented in solution in the soil will pass into the juice, and greatly interfere with the processes of sugar manufacture. Certain soils may be at once indicated as unsuitable : they are elover-land, recent sheep-pastures, forest-land grubbed during the preeeding 15 years, the neighbourhood of salt-works, volcanic and saline soils of all kinds. The beet requires a certain supply of potash and soda salts in the soil, but if those are present in excess, as in recent forest-land, the juice does not work well, nor give its proper yield of sugar.
Manures.—Sugar-bects should be grown with as little farmyard manure as possible ; when dung has to be used, as in the case of very poor soils, it should be applied in autumn, or as early as possible during the winter months. The effect of heavy dressings of animal nitrogenous matters or ammoniacal salts, is to produce ahundanoe of leaves, and big watery roots; the latter are comparatively poor in sugar, and contain potash salts derived from the animal matters, which greatly interfero with the extraction of sugar in a orystallized state. Common salt, aud saline manures in general, though useful iu mmlorate doses (2-3 cwt. per acre on light soils), should be avoided on the majority of soils, for sugar-beets grown ou soils highly manured with common salt produce juice largely impregnated with salt, which is dre,aded by the manufacturer oven more than albuminous impurities, and nearly as much as excess of potash salts.