SUGAR BEET SEED. 



CHAPTER I. 



Historical Consideration and Origin of European 



Varieties of Beets. 



The name Beta has a Celtic origin, and is shown 

 to have existed several centuries before Christ. It was 

 then evidently a sort of mangold. Just whether it comes 

 from a wild variety, existing in Southern Europe, 

 and to which is given the name Beta Maritima, 

 no one can decide. A fact of importance is, as pointed 

 out by Schindler, that the flower of the existing sugar 

 beet has many points in common with its early ances- 

 tor whose descendants are in existence to-day.* The 

 pollen grains are, however, smaller, and the wild beet 

 has many more lateral roots than the ameliorated types. 

 French writers claim that the beet crossed the Alps 

 from Italy. Oliver Serres mentions beets as early 

 as 1590. 



Beets were planted everywhere in Europe after 

 the appearance of IMarggraf's pamphlet in 1747. The 

 white and rose varieties were then mentioned. The 

 most important of all these experiments were those 



*It. is interesting to compare the early or wild beet with existing 

 Im proved Tarieties : 



Potassa 



Soda 



lilme 



Magnesia 



Chlorine -.-.•■ ••■ 

 Sulphuric acid.. . 

 Phosphoric acid. 

 Silicic acid 



