112 The Sugar-Beet in America 
compacting the soil around small seeds. If the land were 
compact in its original unplowed condition, the loss of 
moisture would, result without the benefits of placing the 
seed in close contact with a firm soil. 
THE SEED 
With no crop is greater care necessary to secure good 
seed than with beets. It is so highly important that the 
sugar companies have taken the matter in hand and 
furnish seed to all farmers contracting to raise beets for 
them. Beet seed to be good must have the proper breed- 
ing; its sugar-producing quality must be up to the 
standard by actual demonstration. This is a matter 
that cannot be guessed at by the seed grower; he must 
know just what the seed will do. The seed must be up 
to standard in power to germinate, since poor germination 
means a poor stand and this is a serious matter for the 
sugar-beet grower. The seed should have a bright ap- 
pearance ; if it is dark colored, it may have been wet and 
the germinating power thereby reduced. 
A number of treatments to improve germination have 
been tried with varying success. Treatment with sulfuric 
acid increases germination, but the trouble and expense 
of this treatment will probably prevent its general use. 
Scarifying the seed with a special machine hastens the 
germination of hard seeds, but this is not widely practiced. 
For the present, the farmer’s effort should be centered 
on securing good seed instead of trying to revive poor 
seed by special treatment. A fuller discussion of the 
seed question is given in Chapter XV. 
