ITS HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT 95 



reached with mixed breeds of animals. How quickly the Duroc- 

 Jersey or Poland China hog is recognized! Farmers might have 

 gone on raising "razor backs" and thought they were producing 

 pork if these and other distinct types of hogs had not been 

 developed. 



It is true that there are some good cows in a mixed herd and 

 not all pure breeds are of equal value. Likewise, there are good 

 sugar beets in these mixtures that are now called by distinct names 

 and not all individuals of a pure type will be of equal value, 

 but the average in both quality and yield is far below the limit 

 of possibilities, and the highest plane of development of the 

 sugar beet will not be reached until distinct strains or types 

 are produced and fixed, so that they will come true from year 

 to year. It will then be possible to work with the individual 

 beet as the unit upon which the quality and yield of roots may 

 be based, with a reasonable expectation that material and per- 

 manent improvement in quality and yield of roots may be pro- 

 duced by eliminating the poorer and less desirable individuals. 

 It is not probable that in these pure strains the highest develop- 

 ment of both size and quality will be found in any one strain. 

 but it is necessary first to have the pure strains and to know 

 definitely the characters they possess and are capable of trans- 

 mitting before the necessary steps can be taken to produce by 

 crossing the permanent types in which the roots shall possess 

 the desired qualities of sugar, purity, and yield. At the same 

 time this line of work should develop seed-producing plants of 

 uniform type, with reference to both habit of growth of seed 

 stalks and date of maturity of seed. The development of uni- 

 form types is of vital importance not only with reference to the 



