so EUGAB BEET SEED. 



Knauer Improved Imperial; this was later on super- 

 seded by the White Ameliorated of Vilmorin. But 

 Knauer, himself, was not satisfied with his results and 

 started with a French beet cultivated in the north; 

 from it, the race known as Electoral was created. This 

 had an advantage which the original types had not, 

 viz.: It would flourish in soils of ordinary depths, while 

 the Imperial demanded special conditions. As the 

 origin of these two beets is different, one cannot be 

 used to refresh the other. 



Even Vilmorin, during his early methods of selec- 

 tion, made (as some consider) an evident error by using 

 the Mangold beet as a means of giving a new life to 

 the beet that needed to be refreshed. At the present 

 day there are writers who argue that the Mangold was 

 the starting-point for all existing varieties. It 

 would be very difficult to lay down any special period 

 at which the regeneration should be practiced; but it 

 is certainly not desirable to wait until there are indica- 

 tions of the degeneration of the type of beets under 

 observation. Many practical experts claim that two 

 to three years' limit is a satisfactory basis upon which 

 to work. 



The regeneration, as adopted by some growers, is 

 effected by importing from a distant clime a beet about 

 the same and of the same race type, as the one hav- 

 ing proved satisfactory. The seed of the latter and 

 former are mixed, planting iollows in the regular way, 

 and as they are sufficiently close, their influence will 

 be felt; or better still, plant each seed separately and 

 select mother's from the resulting beets, plant these in 

 the same field, and there will be an interchange of pol- 

 len resulting in the creation of the expected variety. 

 However, this operation, while apparently easy, offers 

 many difficulties in practice. Many similar examples 

 from recent practical experience could be given, but 

 the question is, Do they offer all the advantages claim- 



