vitality of the seed of the respective varieties is given in the following table, and 



shows the number of seeds out of one hundred which grew 



Per cent. 



(1) Elite, after 9 days 92 



(2) Knauer, after 9 days S5 



(3) Lemaire, after 9 days 87 



(4) Desprez, after 9 days 88 



(5) Vilmorin, after 9 days !.*. 



(6) Klein wanzlebener, after 9 dayr, 90 



By May 25 the plats in Field B, also in Field A, had been thoroughly Hat-hoed, and 

 some part of the former field a second time. 



May 2P>, "thinning out" commenced in Field B. The Vilmorin variety, as already 

 stated, had come np almost perfectly and nearly all the plantlets were large enough 

 for "thinning." Not more than one-half of the seed of the other varieties had germi- 

 nated, and, as a consequence, the "thinning out" had to be done twice, which not 

 only increased the expense of that operation, but the plantlets were destined to be 

 and remain of two sizes, the early plants from the first germination, and the later 

 which germinated after the rains, and the evil of two sixes was to be seen through- 

 out the season in the circumstance that the early plants made TOO large beets and 

 the late plants too small. 



From April 22 to June little rain fell, and not only was there no rainfall, but every 

 day was warm, and the heat was accompanied ly south winds, the velocity of whicl 

 ranged from 15 to 20 miles per hour. The continuous drouth had a bad effect upc 

 the. early stage of the crop, which was planted in a soil quite unable, in consequent 

 of the spring cultivation, to resist such a continuous spell of dry weather. At that 

 period the future of the crop appeared threatened. On June 2 2 inches of rain fel 

 and the aspect immediately began to change. 



The temperature of the soil during the germination season, and for the time ii 

 eluded l>et ween May 1 up to the end of June, appears in the following table: 



5S.5 

 60.0 

 fi. 

 72.5 



Before leaving the planting and germination period of the cultural season it will 

 be specially in place to include certain particular observations upon the nature of 

 the climate and the comparative adaptability of the soil to given climatic conditions. 

 It has already been said that from April 22 until June 2 no rain fell. In such re- 

 spect this has been an abnormal year. The normal rainfall for the month of May 

 would be enough for cultural purposes were other physical conditions favorable. In 

 point of fact, the rainfall for the month of May in the State of Nebraska is equal to 

 or exceeds the rainfall for the same mouth in the beet-growing districts of Europe. 

 And again, the temperature of the State of Nebraska does not vary materially in the 

 mean from the temperature of the European countries, although the distribution of 

 the temperature of Nebraska is subject to very much greater fluctuations. There is, 



