EUROPEAN VARIETIES OF BEETS. O 



the color of the skin. For many years these very 

 rich Mlmorin beets were irregular in color, shape, 

 ttc. ^Mention must also be made of the Brabant 

 beet, which was the starting point of many 

 varieties which were popular for some years in France 

 and Belgium. 



Concluding Remarks. 



Taking the beet-seed question as a whole, great 

 improvements are still being made, for in Germany in 

 1882, the average sugar in the beet was 13. i; sugar in 

 the juice 14.6; ten years later, in 1892, t;he average sugar 

 in the beet was 15; sugar in the juice 16.7. True, the 

 kind of soil, etc., have important influences on the vari- 

 ety of beets that may be the most desirable to use, but 

 the question remains, Can many of the seed growers 

 keep their varieties pure under their existing methods 

 of selection and cultivation? The writer thinks not, for 

 reasons which shall be discussed in the following 

 pages. The difference in price per pound between 

 good and bad seed is not sufficient to permit of any 

 hesitancy in the choice — and the results with superior 

 seed will always be more satisfactory in the end. It is 

 to be regretted that some American seed dealers arc 

 offering to their customers imported beet seed at ten 

 cents per pound. It is well to call attention to the 

 fact that we doubt if superior beet seed can be pro- 

 duced in Europe and shipped to the United States at 

 that price. More care should be taken in purchasing 

 beet seed than hitherto. Reliable dealers or producers 

 £.lone should be applied to. 



In the pages which follow we enter into consider- 

 able detail respecting the science of selection, showing 

 the importance of its continuance from year to year. 

 If neglected, there is sure to follow a degeneration in 

 the varieties under study, owing to atavismistic 

 forces asserting their presence, for which facts the 

 ordinarv seed dealer does not allow. Then both the 



