﻿Artificial 
  and 
  Natural 
  Selection 
  817 
  

  

  reliable 
  character, 
  but 
  the 
  casual 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  

   former 
  is 
  very 
  uncertain. 
  

  

  So 
  it 
  is 
  with 
  the 
  beets. 
  A 
  beet 
  may 
  be 
  di- 
  

   vided 
  by 
  its 
  buds 
  and 
  give 
  quite 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   roots, 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  individual. 
  These 
  

   secondary 
  roots 
  have 
  been 
  tested 
  for 
  the 
  

   amount 
  of 
  sugar, 
  and 
  found 
  to 
  exhibit 
  a 
  man- 
  

   ifest 
  degree 
  of 
  variability. 
  If 
  the 
  first 
  root 
  

   corresponded 
  to 
  their 
  average, 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  as 
  reliable, 
  but 
  if 
  not 
  anyone 
  will 
  grant 
  

   that 
  an 
  average 
  is 
  more 
  reliable 
  than 
  a 
  single 
  

   determination. 
  Deviations 
  have 
  as 
  a 
  fact 
  been 
  

   observed, 
  proving 
  the 
  validity 
  of 
  our 
  assertion. 
  

  

  These 
  considerations 
  at 
  once 
  explain 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   appointment 
  so 
  often 
  experienced 
  by 
  breeders. 
  

   Some 
  facts 
  may 
  be 
  quoted 
  from 
  the 
  Belgian 
  pro- 
  

   fessor 
  of 
  agriculture 
  at 
  Gembloux, 
  the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  

   Laurent. 
  He 
  selected 
  two 
  beets, 
  from 
  a 
  strain, 
  

   with 
  the 
  exceptional 
  amount 
  of 
  23$ 
  sugar, 
  but 
  

   kept 
  their 
  offspring 
  separate 
  and 
  analyzed 
  some 
  

   60 
  of 
  each. 
  In 
  both 
  groups 
  the 
  average 
  was 
  

   only 
  11 
  -- 
  12$, 
  the 
  extremes 
  not 
  surpassing 
  

   14 
  -- 
  15$. 
  Evidently 
  the 
  choice 
  was 
  a 
  bad 
  one, 
  

   notwithstanding 
  the 
  high 
  polarization 
  value 
  of 
  

   the 
  parent. 
  Analogous 
  cases 
  are 
  often 
  observed, 
  

   and 
  my 
  countrymen, 
  Messrs. 
  Kuhn 
  & 
  Co., 
  go 
  so 
  

   far 
  as 
  to 
  doubt 
  all 
  excessive 
  variants, 
  and 
  to 
  

   prefer 
  beets 
  with 
  high, 
  but 
  less 
  extraordinary 
  

   percentages. 
  Such 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  had 
  in 
  larger 
  num- 
  

  

  