THE FAULTS OF THE SORGHUM PLANT AND OE THE SUGAR BEET 



COMPARED. 



The sugar beet contains mineral substance which lessens the yield 

 of sugar. As a rule these mineral substances in the juic3 vary indi- 

 rectly as the sugar varies; that is, the greater the percentage of sugar 

 the lower the percentage of mineral substance. 



Sorghum contains glucose in the juice, and this lessens the yield of 

 sugar. As a rule the percentage of glucose in the juice varies inversely 

 as the percentage ot sugar varies, that is, the greater the percentage 

 of sugar the less the percentage of glucose. 



The beet has also physical or outward faults. It is a biennial plant; 

 it stores sugar the first season, it produces seed the second season. 

 Sorghum is an annual plant; it produces sugar and also seed in one 

 season; but when it has produced its sugar and its seed it often attempts 

 a second crop of seed, and this lessens the yield of sugar. 



The sugar beet sometimes makes a "second growth.' 7 Sorghum some- 

 times scuds out offshoots from every joint and oii^hoots from the roots. 



The sugar-beet is sometimes hollow. Sorghum canes are sometimes 

 pithy and contain but little juice. 



The sugar-beet is sometimes attacked by the u brown penetration," a 

 discoloration of the beet which lessens the yield of sugar. Sorghum 

 canes sometimes have brown or red spots in the interior of the canes. 

 The sugar-beet often had faults of form ; it had forked roots, making 

 harvesting the beets and cleaning them from dirt more difficult. Sor- 

 ghum also has faults of form. 



CAN THE SORGHUM PLANT BE IMPROVED? 



Judging by all analogies, the sorghum plant can be very greatly im- 

 proved by intelligent and long-continued selection. Stirpiculture in the 

 animal kingdom has given us the Cotswold sheep, the Poland-China 

 hog, the Jersey cow, and the Norman horse. In the vegetable kingdom 

 it has given us the Peabody corn, the Ziufandel grape, the Lapice su- 

 gar-cane, and the Kleiu-Wauzlebcu sugar-beet. It has been truly said, 

 "Wherever and with whatever plant selection of the best for seed has 

 been long continued wonderful results have been obtained." Darwin 

 said, "Let any common plant, even a roadside weed, for instance, bo 

 grown on a large scale, and let a sharp-sighted gardener select and 

 propagate slight variations, and see if new varieties do not result." 

 Knauer started with a variety of the sugar-beet which continued but II 

 per cent, of sugar; he improved it by selecting the best for seed until he 

 produced the "Imperial" variety, which contained 10 per cent, of sugar. 

 Deprez ct Fils, by selection of seed from the best roots, produced three 

 varieties which contained from 14 to 10 per cent, of sugar. Viluiorin, 

 the celebrated horticulturist of France, created the "Improved Vil- 

 nioriu," improved in form and in yield of sugar. There are no apparent 



