86 SUGAR-BEET SEED 



It at once became impossible for American beet-sugar 

 companies to secure shipments of seed without first 

 depositing the money in Rotterdam against bills of 

 lading. To secure the seed, it became necessary for 

 the American beet-sugar producers to send two of 

 their number to Rotterdam, prepared to disburse 

 some $800,000 to the various growers, as the seed 

 arrived, and to arrange for its shipment to the United 

 States. Shipping facilities and other complications 

 were such that several months' effort of the committee 

 was required in order to secure sufficient seed for the 



1915 planting. 



In 1915 the quantity of German seed desired for 



1916 planting in the United States amounted in value 

 to 3,500.000 marks, and the German Government 

 having placed an embargo on the export of sugar-beet 

 seed, notified its growers that the only condition upon 

 which the seed could be exported was that the United 

 States first should land foodstuffs or cotton at a Ger- 

 man port, to the value of the seed to be exported. 



As Great Britain had blockaded German ports and 

 would not recede from her position, the seed situa- 

 tion with American beet-sugar factories became still 

 more acute and from that time until late in 1917, the 

 executive officer of the industry's national association, 



