IMPROVING FARM CROPS 25 



States was 14.9 per cent in 1907, and one field of 

 twenty acres in Washington averaged 22 per cent 

 sugar 1 . Less than a hundred years ago (1812), the 

 first beet-sugar was manufactured for sale; now over 

 half the sugar supply of the world comes from beets. 



Large firms have made a business of breeding beets. 

 The method of improvement has been about as follows: 

 When digging the beets, the workmen select the best- 

 looking ones of medium size (one and one-half to two 

 pounds), smooth and uniform, and that grow below the 

 ground. These are stored for winter testing. In the winter 

 they are tested for sugar and per cent of solids not sugar. 

 A small core is bored out for the sugar test. This does not 

 injure the beet for planting. The solid matter other than 

 sugar makes the extraction of sugar more difficult. Those 

 with a high percentage of sugar and low percentage of 

 other solids are best. The beets are graded into different 

 classes, based on the percentage of sugar, and are planted 

 to raise seed. 



The seed produced by each of these beets is sown in 

 separate rows, to test the reproductive power. New selec- 

 tions for continuing the improvement are made from the 

 best beets of the best rows. The remaining ones are used 

 for growing commercial seed. The seed grown from beets 

 with a high sugar content sells higher than that grown 

 from the poorer classes. 



26. Corn Improvement. The best ears may be selected 

 from a crib, or from the field at husking time, or one may 

 go into the field before husking and select good ears on 

 good stalks that grew under normal conditions. A good 



^Experiment Station Record, Vol. XIX, p. 32. 



