30 , SUGAR BEET SEED- 



tipon the planting of mothers in a new country, satis- 

 factory or not, only suppose that selections are made- 

 every two years, as the seed obtained from the exported 

 mothers is planted again at home and the mothers 

 from these furnish seed to the trade. In theory, this 

 method may have many advantages, since the stimu- 

 lated effects from a change of climate hundreds of 

 miles away may then strengthen the beets and have an 

 important influence on the resulting seed. But where 

 the fallacy comes in, is the use of grandmothers for the 

 production of seed, rather than selected mothers. It 

 would be impossible to declare that this latter method 

 has ever been carried out on any extensive scale. There 

 are very few seed growers who would be willing to give 

 a guarantee that their entire crop of seed was produced 

 under the same conditions. Is it not natural to con- 

 clude that the simpler the scientific methods of seed 

 production, the greater the chances for success? Con- 

 centration of effort to produce one type instead of 

 many is the true basis, notwithstanding the fact that 

 many argue to the contrary. That will lead to success 

 and will yield results which in the long run may be 

 relied upon. In conclusion, it is well to remember that 

 as all countries are not equally suited to the production 

 of beet seed, the actual facts should be known as a cer- 

 tainty before too much time and labor be expended. 



The Advantages of One Variety of Beets. 



J n theory, it is all very well for growers to declare 

 that they furnish seeds that are adapted to special con- 

 ditions of soil, climate, etc ; in practice, howevei, the 

 results obtained are not up to promises. The time given 

 to selecting or creating many varieties, if the interest of 

 the beet-sugar manufacturer be considered, had far 

 better been concentrated on one type. It is claimed 

 that for rich and deep soils a late-maturing beet is 

 needed, while the early-maturing types are adapted to 



