39 



during an absence of a few days, one of the factory 

 hands, whom I had entrusted to serve out the seed 

 to the farmers, mixed this seed with an equal quan- 

 tity of the new seed. The error was irreparable, 

 as the seed had been delivered before my return. 

 T took note of the farmers to whom it bad been 

 delivered and observed the consequences : a portion 

 of the seed, undoubtedly the new, came up in ten 

 days, and every one, except myself was surprised 

 that the plants were so far apart : eight or ten days 

 afterwards however the balance of the seed sprang 

 up. Unless under favorable climatic circumstances 

 this would have caused great inconvenience, but 

 nothing came of iN, as on thinning out sufficient 

 plants were found to cover any vacancies and the 

 crop did not suffer. However "the case seemed to me 

 of sufficient importance to put me on my guard in 

 the future against its repetition. I must also warn 

 my readers against such an inconvenience. They 

 must endeavor to secure seed grown the preceding 

 year or at least not more than two years before ; 

 and specially if they have seed of two different 

 years let them take care not to mix them, but sow in 

 different fields the seeds of different growths, and 

 place the oldest in the most active fields and in 

 those that are soonest sown. 



*0n this subject of seed I would ask those who are 

 engaged in the culture of the beet not to neglect 

 trying it first. For this purpose, before sowing, a 

 small box with proper earth is placed in a room and 

 a certain number of seeds, carefully counted and at 



