222 The Sugar-Beet in America 



finds very little use. In the standard method of selection 

 the chemical analysis is used. 



The beet to be tested is cleaned and the sample to be 

 analyzed is obtained by boring a hole diagonally through 

 the beet near the thickest point in such a way that the 

 various zones of high and low sugar will be represented. 

 A given weight of the pulp obtained from the boring is 

 placed in a dish and the sugar extracted by any one of a 

 number of methods. The solution containing the sugar 

 is then placed in a tube which is inserted in a polariscope 

 by aid of which the percentage is read directly. The 

 process is not difficult, but it requires skill in laboratory 

 manipulation and is not adapted to use by the average 

 farmer. Removing the core does not interfere with the 

 growth of the beet if it is stored properly. 



Steps in selection. 



It is not safe to save all beets that are high in sugar 

 without making further tests to see which ones transmit 

 this quality. The individual beet may be high in sugar 

 because of its environment and may not be of a high- 

 producing strain. For this reason, several years of selec- 

 tion are required before one can be sure of quality of 

 seed that will be produced. It is not the mother beet 

 with high sugar-content that is desired, but the mother 

 whose progeny will be high in sugar. In testing strains, 

 it is a good plan to have for comparison standard seed 

 for growing in different parts of the test field. 



The procedure usually carried out is somewhat as 

 follows : The first year a great many beets of desirable 

 size and shape are analyzed for sugar. The better in- 



