Fig. 71. Battery for Alcoholic Digestion.
224. Determination of Sugar in Mother Beets.—In selecting mother beets for seed production, it is necessary to secure only those of a high sugar content. This is accomplished by boring a hole about two and a half centimeters in diameter obliquely through the beet by means of the apparatus shown in [Fig. 72].
The beet is not injured for seed production by this process, and the pulp obtained is used for the determination of sugar. The juice is expressed by means of the small hand press shown in [Fig. 73]. Since only a small quantity of juice is obtained, it is advisable to prepare it for polarization in a sugar flask marked at fifty cubic centimeters. The density of the juice, by reason of its small volume, is easiest obtained by the hydrostatic balance, as described in paragraph [53]. In lieu of this, the juice may be quickly weighed in a counterbalanced dish on a balance giving results accurate to within one milligram. The rest of the analytical process is similar to that already described.
Fig. 72. Rasp for Sampling Mother Beets.
Fig. 73. Hand Press for Beet Analysis.
Fig. 74.