512 



THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. LI 



Pritcliard is a mutationist rather than a selectionist, 

 probably played no i)art in sugar beet improvement except where an 

 logical species. 



One does not need to agree with the form of Pritchard's con- 

 clusion to recognize the great value of such studies as those 

 which he has carried out. Full knowledge of the difficulties 

 surrounding a task is one of the essentials to its accomi)lishnieut. 

 "When all the variables that enter into the problem of sugar- 

 beet production and sugar-beet breeding are known in quanti- 

 tative terms, it will be possible for the practical man to decide 

 on the basis of the cost of labor and other economic considera- 

 tions what operations can be dispensed with and what other 

 changes in routine can be profitably made. Operations can then 

 be more properly designated scientific. 



J. Arthur Harris 



