REQUIREMENTS OF SUGAR BEET SEED. 37 



Elite beets, saj' of even 19 per cent, sugar, has yet to be 

 created by Legras. There are, as we have just said, 

 great difficulties to OA'ercome; but it is possible that 

 success may be attained in the end, but not, however, 

 upon the existing basis ot selection, as described in 

 what follows. 



Conclusions Respecting Selection in General. 



One fact is certain, that superior seed cannot be 

 obtained as a continuous certainty unless all scientific 

 principles known about the subject be adhered to. 

 The farmer and the manufacturer must work together, 

 since their interests are the same. Theories, however 

 absurd they may seem, however much they may be in 

 opposition to existing beliefs, should be given a fair 

 trial, unless the same lines of research have already 

 been thoroughly investigated; then it would be a loss 

 of time to go over the same ground. If a seed pro- 

 ducer hopes to rival his neighbor by honest means, he 

 must necessarily be familiar with all His competitor's 

 methods of selection, sale, etc.; respecting the latter, 

 exact information is almost impossible to obtain. It 

 must not be forgotten that if a seed grower attains a cer- 

 tain degree of excellence in the saccharine qualities of 

 his beets, and is contented with the results obtained, 

 and does not continue his selection from year to year 

 with the view of realizing a still greater amelioration, 

 after an elapse of a reasonable interval, complaints will 

 surely pour in from customers, that there has been a 

 most unsatisfactory crop of beets obtained from seed 

 furnished, that the season, etc., have been favorable 

 and that seed from other sources have given excel- 

 lent results. Consequently, when one centres his 

 efforts upon the continued creation of not many, but of 

 one variety of beet adapted to most soils, he is doing 

 more towards the progress of the beet-sugar industry 

 than another who attempts to mislead the purchaser 



