“IMPROVEMENT OF SEEDS AND SEED GRAINS. - 15 
the beet root the first year from seed, which root being planted the next year yields 
.secd; that seed is sown for the crop of beets for sugar making. These selected beets 
ney are stored in a cool place; and' before the time for planting a small eore is taken 
out of each beet; the juice is pressed’ out and that is tested for the percentage of sugar 
and purity. Al the beets that test‘ over 15' ‘per ‘cent of ‘sugar are put by themselves; 
and all that test above 16 per cent are put in another lot. These are the two sets 
of mother beets. These are planted under favourable conditions, with plenty of room. 
The seed from each beet, each mother plant, is sown in a separate row. “The grower 
finds which row gives him the best value of beets in total yield, in weight per beet, in 
shape and position of growth and in percentage of sugar and purity of juice. Out of 
the rows that give the highest general average the best beets are picked again. These 
eve tested again for sugar content and purity and these become the mother beets of the 
‘third year. Their seeds dre again planted in ‘separate rows and the seed from that crop 
is sown in the general field. The sugar beet’ growers keep up continuously the practice 
of having seed from the best mother plants. By that process the sugar content of the 
sugar beet crop has been raised from about 9 or 10 per cent to between 15 and 16 per 
cent all over France. That is the result of systematic, intelligent selection of the best 
plants and the use of the seeds from those plants continuously year after year. 
; ‘However, beets cross-pollinate. The pollen from one row of beets will cross with 
those of others. The growers adopt the plan of planting mother beets where only the 
good beets can cross-pollinate ‘with each other. | : 
SELECTION AS APPLIED TO INDIAN CORN. 
There has been an almost similar method of improvement applied to the Indian 
corn crop. Some four years ago, when I gave evidence on the same subject, I cited the 
case of a grower in the United States who had increased his yield of Indian corn 25 
per cent by four years of such selection. I have been-following that subject ever since 
with increasing interest, and J have seen the most astounding results, if I may use that 
word, from that procedure. Only last year there were formed in Illinois two corn 
breeders’ associations, to carry out in a commercial way the very practice I advocated 
here in 1899, applying it to Indian corn. The growers choose for this purpose—and 
since we grow a good deal of corn in Canada, in southern Ontario, it is important to 
our country—they choose seed ears with reference to the individual character of the 
plant on which the ear is produced. That is one of the rules. The plant used must be 
representative as an excellent, superior plant of the variety. Then they choose the ears 
that conform to certain standards in regard to length of ear, diameter, closeness of 
grains and the ear being covered to the very tip with kernels of corn. I obtained from 
Illinois last year—I went there to see this in some special places—some corn ears that 
were covered with kernels right over the end. 
By Mr. Ross (Ontario): 
Q. You could not see the tip? 
A. No, there was a grain of corn right in the very > andl But such improved corn 
will go back in a few years unless the systematic selection be kept up. Every sort of 
grain which has been improved by cultivation and selection will degenerate unless. kept 
up by selection. 
Q. Is that a tendency of all plant life, to change? 
A. Yes, to vary both ways; and the variation of improved varieties is likely to be 
backward unless continuous intelligent selection is kept up. 
These corn breeders’ associations require each of their members to have a breeding 
plot. Each such plot must have not less than 25 rows of corn by 100 hills long; each 
separate row planted with kernels from only one selected ear. For their stock. seed, 
they go through the rows, as the other growers go through the sugar beet rows. They 
see which row on the average gives the best crop. If any row shows inferiority-they 
