IMPROVEMENT OF THE SEED. 183 



planting them. Mr. Simon Legrand's idea is to have 

 seed, for example, of French origin sent to Germany 

 to be planted, and then the selected mothers to return 

 to their native soil for their second year's growth. As 

 shown, the problem is not an easy one, and opinions 

 greatly differ as to the results obtained and the manner 

 of producing them. There is one method which we pro- 

 pose for America ; it is totally different from anything 

 yet in practical use, and, from our own experience, has 

 in every case been a success. The first thing is to obtain 

 a location, the soil having the qualities before men- 

 tioned, and then not to import seed, which never has 

 given satisfactory results, but to bring the roots direct 

 from Germany ; these having been previously chosen, 

 if they are planted in any of the ^Northern Stales, 

 will yield a seed that becomes accustomed to the 

 American climate at the start. (We can in no way 

 understand how Mr. "Walkhoff's experience in plant- 

 ing seeds of one climate in a colder one has given a 

 variety of beet superior to what had previously ex- 

 isted, our own experience having been the opposite — 

 yielding roots much degenerated.) Again, if these 

 be selected in a proper manner we will have an im- 

 proved beet, possessed of all the qualities of those 

 existing in Europe, "Whatever be the method of selec- 

 tion or production adopted, the roots are stored in 

 silos,^ care having been taken to place them in layers, 



' See " Preservation and Conservation of the Beet." 



