118 THE SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



thing except the laboratory and its permanent equipment. In this selection we will 

 retain one-seventh of the beets, giving us 4000 roots, enough to plant one acre the 

 remaining six-sevenths go for cattle food. We have in operation, then, land as fol- 

 lows : Ten acres sown with seed and one acre planted with mothers. 



In the fall the beet crop is harvested, selections made as before for mother beets, 

 and the remainder sent to the factoiy. Seed is harvested, cleaned, selected, and 

 stored for the next year's use. The books for this season would show a small excess 

 of expenditure over income. 



The third year, all operations of the second year are repeated in detail. In addi- 

 tion ten acres of choice land will be sown with seed selected from the previous year's 

 crop, with the object of producing small and very rich beets. In the fall we will har- 

 vest a crop of beets for the factory and to furnish mothers for the next year; a crop 

 of seed for further selection, and a crop of small beets of this year's growing. Land 

 in use this year: ten acres sown with original seed; ten acres sown with our own seed 

 of the previous year; one acre planted with mother beets. The books of this year 

 will also show an excess of expenditures over income. 



Fourth year; all of tue work of the third year is repeated. In addition to this, 

 we plant 100 acres with choice roots from the small and very rich beets grown the 

 previous year. This fail we will harvest beets for the factory and for mothers; seed 

 for further selection; small, rich beets for final seed production, and from 80 to 100 

 tons of seed ready for the market. Assuming 80 tons of seed, and a price of 15 cents 

 per pound, the seed product of the fourth year would be worth $24,000. 



If care has been observed at every step in breeding, this seed ought to be worth, 

 by reason of the higher return it will yield both to the grower and manufacturer, at 

 least five cents per pound more than foreign-grown seed. Each succeeding year now 

 of operation, on the basis and on the scale of these preliminary years, will yield for 

 market from 80 to 100 tons of seed, worth from $24,000 to $40,000. 



To actually produce the seed requires, then, the use of not more than 150 acres of 

 land at one time. A proper rotation of crops would demand, for seed growing on the 

 scale thus briefly and imperfectly outlined, not less than 640 acres. 



Of course, there will be many difficulties to be met and overcome. In this state, 

 one of these will be the prevalence of winds at certain seasons of the year. It is pos- 

 sible that this trouble may be met by planting rows of corn at intervals among our 

 seed beets, to act as wind breaks. Certain it is that we shall find some way to meet 

 that and similar difficulties. 



European beet growers and manufacturers have established careful rules to secure 

 the best quality of seed. They require that the seed must be from the last crop. It 

 must be of such quality that 100 large seeds must furnish 150 sprouts, and 100 small 

 seeds at least 130 sprouts, these should show within 14 days from the beginning of the 

 test. Not more than 20 per cent of lifeless seed will be admitted. Moisture in the 

 seed should never be more than 15 per cent of the total weight, because more of it 

 causes mold, which injures germinating power. There must be about 45 seeds per 

 gram, or about 22,500 per pound for large seed. 



