PRODUCTIOX OF SUFEllIOK SEED. 209 



The results obtained by this method have never 

 been brought to our notice. However, this is a hint in a 

 direction that might possibly lead to some very impor- 

 tant results. In the patented method of circulating 

 carbonic acid through pipes, the gas escapes through 

 special holes; the quantity of gas used increases as the 

 beets become larger. It is essential also to have 

 artificial light during the night; such roots are said to 

 be very superior and may be sent to a mother-selecting 

 laboratory. 



Production cf Beet Seed- by Use of Very Small 

 Mothers. 



As we have previously pointed out the general 

 opinion prevailing that very small beets are not desir- 

 able for beet-seed production, it is of interest to con- 

 sider, in some detail, the small-beet method as used in 

 Austria, and which, in many cases, has led to most sat- 

 isfactory results. Beet seed, as it is found on the mar- 

 ket, is either the direct outcome of selected mothers, 

 or is from mothers obtained from the descendants of a 

 selected beet after several generations. The expense 

 and difficulties of seed production by direct methods 

 have led most dealers to use the latter system, which, 

 unless extreme care is used, is open to many objections. 

 The more atavism gains in strength, the further the 

 seed is from the original parent; however, numerous 

 cases may be cited where even after the fourth gen- 

 eration, the results continue to be satisfactory. In 

 Germany, the so-called patch method continues to be 

 used with success, without any special complaint from 

 manufacturers. In the best cases, seeds are sown from 

 selected mothers, and the resulting roots furnish seed 

 for the trade. In Bohemia, some variations have been 

 made from the German method, and the craze for very 

 small mothers has been pushed to an excess, and it 

 frequently happens that the seed furnished is worthless. 



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