112 The Sugar-Beet in America 



compacting the soil around small seeds. If the land were 

 compact in its original unplowed condition, the loss of 

 moisture would result without the benefits of placing the 

 seed in close contact with a firm soil. 



THE SEED 



With no crop is greater care necessary to secure good 

 seed than with beets. It is so highly important that the 

 sugar companies have taken the matter in hand and 

 furnish seed to all farmers contracting to raise beets for 

 them. Beet seed to be good must have the proper breed- 

 ing; its sugar-producing quality must be up to the 

 standard by actual demonstration. This is a matter 

 that cannot be guessed at by the seed grower; he must 

 know just what the seed will do. The seed must be up 

 to standard in power to germinate, since poor germination 

 means a poor stand and this is a serious matter for the 

 sugar-beet grower. The seed should have a bright ap- 

 pearance ; if it is dark colored, it may have been wet and 

 the germinating power thereby reduced. 



A number of treatments to improve germination have 

 been tried with varying success. Treatment with sulfuric 

 acid increases germination, but the trouble and expense 

 of this treatment will probably prevent its general use. 

 Scarifying the seed with a special machine hastens the 

 germination of hard seeds, but this is not widely practiced. 

 For the present, the farmer's effort should be centered 

 on securing good seed instead of trying to revive poor 

 seed by special treatment. A fuller discussion of the 

 seed question is given in Chapter XV. 



