ITS HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT 43 



in the United States is furnished by such dealers, while the 

 better class of German growers, who, through fifteen or twenty 

 generations of plants, have conducted most careful field and 

 experimental trials and annually spend thousands of dollars 

 in testing individual roots and making records and photographs 

 of them, sell but very little seed here. This is largely due to 

 the lack of interest and failure on the part of the American seed- 

 buyers in investigating the methods and establishments of those 

 from whom they secure seed. 



" The information one generally secures from sugar-beet seed 

 growers, not only as to their own business, but as to that of 

 their associates as well, is frequently unreliable. Exaggeration 

 is very common, and it is frequently impossible for an outsider 

 to reconcile the results of his own observations with the state- 

 ments made, both in conversation and in print. Seed which is 

 sold as having been grown in the most careful and scientific 

 manner is often actually the cheapest and poorest grade of seed 

 procurable. It consists of both new and old seed, which has been 

 grown under widely different conditions of soil and climate, and 

 is mixed together by specially constructed machinery. It is 

 explained that the different lots of seed are mixed to insure 

 an evenness both in the germination of the seed and in the quality 

 of the crop. The absurdity of mixing all kinds and grades of 

 seed to produce uniformity in the crop is evident. 



" It is generally admitted that the sugar beet, being one of 

 our most highly bred plants, is very susceptible to the influence 

 of both climatic and soil conditions; hence seed should be used 

 which was produced under the most favorable conditions for 

 the production of beets best suited to each particular locality. 



