As in this crop, the object of the growth is to secure



344 Fertilizers

not primarily beets^ but sugar^ and since the sugar for-
mation is not perfected until the absorption of the neces-
sary food from the soil has been in large part completed,
any fertilization which promotes a too rapid or too long-
continued growth has a tendency to reduce the percentage
of sugar; and inasmuch as the maturation takes place
largely in the months of early fall, the growth must be
forced early in the season. That is, it is essential that a
large and rapid leaf growth be made early, in order that
the food from the air may be acquired. It has been demon-
strated that for this early and rapid growth of the beet,
phosphoric acid is one of the most essential constituents,
which explains the need for phosphoric acid in larger pro-
portion than is indicated by the composition of the beet.
