CHAPTER XV 
PRODUCTION OF SUGAR-BEET SEED 
In obtaining sugar from the beet there are three dis- 
tinct enterprises: the production of seed, the raising of 
beets, and the manufacturing of sugar from the beets. 
In America, only the last two have been given special 
attention; America has depended on Europe for seed. 
The time has now arrived to forge the third link in the 
chain necessary to make the American beet-sugar in- 
dustry secure. The uncertainty of a foreign supply of 
seed during war times, endangering an enterprise having 
a hundred million dollars invested, has demonstrated that 
all three phases of the industry must be developed at 
home. 
IMPORTANCE OF GOOD SEED 
To say that good seed is desirable is simply to re-state 
one of the commonplaces of all sound agricultural teach- 
ing. In the case of sugar-beets, however, this doctrine 
has a special significance. All the reasons for good seed 
with any crop apply to beets; in addition the entire 
success of the industry depends on having seed that will 
produce beets of a standard quality. With wheat, if the 
quality of seed is poor, the worst that can happen is that 
the yield of the resulting crop may be reduced by a few 
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