CHAPTEE IV 



GUARANTEES IN THE TRADE IN SEED : (a) AS TO 

 ANALYSIS BY THE SEED TESTING STATION OF THE 

 STATE I (b) AS TO GENUINENESS OF THE STRAIN 



THE development of the growing of root crops naturally had 

 a strong influence on the trade in root seed and gradually also 

 on the production of seed. In 1886 the total quantity of root 

 seed required by Danish farmers was about 210 tons, while in 

 1915 it was estimated at 2850 tons. 1 This great increase is 

 due not only to the very much larger acreage under roots, but 

 also to the fact that much more seed was sown per acre. In 

 1886 all the seed sold was imported and sold as foreign varieties 

 of the different kinds of roots. In 1 91 5 it was almost exclusively 

 seed grown in Denmark of Danish strains. In 1886 there was, 

 naturally, no export of Danish root seed. From the year 1909 

 onwards the home-grown seed was about equal to the home 

 consumption, and as the production gradually increased, there 

 was a surplus for exportation. In 1915 about 2000 tons of 

 seed of Danish strains of roots were exported, notwithstanding 

 the difficulties due to the war. The export of root seed is 

 expected to grow considerably during the next years. 



It is thus only of late that the growing of root seed has 

 attained to any importance. In 1896 the total acreage under 

 seed of all kinds was only 9500 acres, and had by 1907 increased 

 only to 10,400 acres, 2 of which 4500 acres were devoted to root 

 seed. After that the acreage increased rapidly, especially that 

 used for Swedes and Turnips, for which the Danish climate is 

 particularly favourable. 



1 L. Helweg, " The Trade in Root Seed," Paper read before R. A. S. D. in 

 March, 1916, Tidsskrift for Planteavl, 23 vol., 1916, p. 623. 



2 Statistisk Tabdvcerk, 5 Rsekke, Litra C. No. 3, 1909, p. 33. 



