THE KURA L, NEW-YORKER 
775 
Producing Superior Sugar-beet Seed. 
Selecting an Improved Strain. 
B 
ULLETIN 13G from tlie Utah Experiment Sta¬ 
tion is an interesting account of the produc¬ 
tion of sugar beet seed. It seems that it is now 
only 150 years ago that sugar from beets was ex¬ 
tracted even in the laboratory. At that time the 
proportion of sugar in the beet was so low that the 
cost of getting if out was more than the sugar was 
worth. In 1747 a Prussian chemist. Margaff. was 
able to get 5% of sugar from beets. Now beets con¬ 
taining 14 to 20% of sugar are regularly produced, 
and this change has been brought about by breed¬ 
ing and selection of the “mother beet”: that is. the 
beets that are carried over for producing seed. 
It is necessary to continue the selection of these 
beets for producing high-class seed. Tf this is not 
done the percentage of sugar rapidly decreases. 
Fig. 204 shows a sample mother beet growing in 
Utah. It is called a good specimen, and the seed 
is shown as it develops on the beet. The work of 
selecting these mother beets requires hard and pa¬ 
tient work. In the first place there must he the 
proper shape in the beet. Then when these shapely 
roots are selected, fair samples of the flesh are 
taken out and analyzed. Those which give a low 
analysis of sugar are rejected. The beets which 
analyzed high in sugar are carried through tin* Win¬ 
ter and planted out in the Spring for the seed crop. 
It will not always follow that these high-testing 
mother beets will produce the right kind of seed. 
Only those are selected which show their power of 
producing seed which gives another crop of the high- 
testing roots. It appears that some of the high-test¬ 
ing beets do not possess the power of conveying this 
high analysis through their seed, while others do. 
Thus before establishing a full strain 
of mother seed, it is necessary to pro¬ 
duce seed from the second generation, 
plant this seed and then average sam¬ 
ples of roots taken from if and reserve 
only those which continue the high 
analysis through several generations. 
For instance there might be a mother 
beet, a small sample from which gave 
1SG of sugar. This beet would be 
planted in the Spring to produce seed, 
as shown in the picture. This seed 
would he planted and the roots grown 
from it would be tested in their turn. 
They might show only 14% or less of 
sugar, in which case they would be 
rejected. Another mother heet of high 
analysis might from its seed give a 
class of beets running 17% or 18% 
and if seed from these beets in their 
turn also gave high-testing roots, it 
would be evident that this strain was 
fixed in its habit of producing high- 
testing roots. Nothing but this patient 
and long-continued work can make sure 
provement in a strain. 
In Utah this work has been carried on now for 
some years and is developing into an excellent busi¬ 
ness. There is a demand in this country for about 
7.500,000 pounds of sugar beet seed. Thus far less 
than one-twentieth of this has been produced in the 
country, and this means that $1,000,000 must be 
sent out of the country each year for beet seed. It 
is hoped that in Utah a business of producing this 
high-class seed may be developed. The climate is 
admirable for the purpose; irrigation may control 
the amount of moisture required, and there is an 
absence of many of the insects winch prey upon 
the beet in other sections. Out of an average of 
many trials, it was found that each mother heet pro¬ 
duced a little less than one pound of seed. It would 
not of course be possible to figure from this that be¬ 
cause there are 7.000 beets on an acre there would 
surely be 7.000 pounds of seed. As an average of 
three years it was found that 1.372 pounds of seed 
were produced to the acre. At the regular whole¬ 
sale price for seed this would mean from $180 to 
$- (, 5 to the acre. The cost of raising an acre, in¬ 
cluding the seed, cleaning and thrashing, is $95. 
I here seems, therefore, to be a good opportunity 
tor producing a supply of high-class seed in Utah. 
than one that cost $2,000. I find that it will ac¬ 
complish as much work on the road as two teams 
of horses. My teams are on the place all the time, 
and I can do better work cultivating and keep my 
horses in better condition than when doing the 
road work along with the farm work. Another ad¬ 
vantage is that it gets there quicker than horses, 
hence a saving in man's time, also enables me to 
start for market later and get there sooner, which 
I 
sometimes is worth a great deal more than tune 
figured at $1.50 per day. j. c. Hendrickson. 
l’res. N. .1. Horticultural Society. 
Regarding the value and efficiency of motor 
trucks for farm uses, I interviewed several truck 
farmers who have used them several years; they 
all agree that with proper care and handling they 
are a valuable piece of farm equipment. They are 
time savers and are easy to operate and much more 
comfortable to do the necessary marketing in 
stormy weather than with the team and wagon. 
One of these men gave me the following items: 
The Beautiful Western New York. 
. Prospects for Coming Season.. 
WONDER if you have ever been through West¬ 
ern New York in a Spring like this? It is surely 
the garden of the Lord. I have had several auto 
rides of 50 or GO miles, besides a trolley ride of 
like distance, and I have never seen this country 
when it was more glorious. Every tree loaded with 
blossoms, apple, peach, cherry, prune, plum, apri¬ 
cot. quince, and every shrub gorgeous with a riot of 
colors. And then the fields are such a fine green. 
The season has been simply ideal for meadows and 
wheat. In all my riding I did not see one poor 
piece of whea t: some of course were not as good as 
others but not one that you could or would call a 
failure. A good many pieces of Alfalfa that would 
do Joe Wing’s heart good to see, and the clover and 
Timothy thick and rank, and the pastures such as 
to make a cow or steer do its full duty either at 
the pail or in laying on flesh. If ever there was a 
land on which the Creator smiled when he made it, 
it surely was Western New York. 
Cats are coming along well, seeding being prac¬ 
tically over, some pieces of corn planted and others 
being fitted. Toward Geneva there seemed to be a 
good many planning for a large acreage of cabbage, 
judging from the plants growing, all of which were 
protected by cotton cloth. 
I think from all I learn that the potato acreage 
will be curtailed. The past season being such a 
disastrous one many will be inclined to plant less. 
I am still at a loss to understand the market the 
past year. With wheat and beans high there should 
have been a turning to potatoes, but it did not seem 
to be so. and as a result we bad a dragging market 
all (lie year, and now they are only paying 20 cents 
I am told, at the loading stations. I 
don’t believe that you can raise a 
bushel of tubers for less than 35 to 
40 cents, depending on the size of the 
crop and how situated in reference to 
market. There will probably be a 
large acreage of beans, as the price 
has been, and still is, high. This will 
also have a tendency to curtail the 
acreage of potatoes. c. i. 
Rochester, N. Y. 
1 
of an im- 
The Manure Pile as a Fly-trap. Fig. 293. 
“Have used my truck three years: have made 
about 200 trips to market (10 miles distant) per 
year. Often making three trips per day it is much 
pleasanter to start away with a loaded truck at 
4 a. m. than to feed and prepare a team of horses 
and start out at 2 a. m., as would he necessary to 
reach the market during the market hours." He is 
often home at 7 a. in. in time to do a substantial 
days work with rested horses; can do his farm work 
with fewer horses, with correspondingly less shoe¬ 
ing. wagon and harness repairs. 
The repairs on this truck during the three-veurs’ 
Experience With Motor Trucks. 
I Ail using a one-ton auto-truck for the second 
.'ear. and find it invaluable to me in my busi¬ 
ness. I have no data to give you as to how much 
business a man should have to use one; one must 
be his own judge of that. I solved the problem in 
this way. I secured a one-ton truck for $850. The 
inteiest or capital invested is not so great as it 
would be on a larger and higher-priced car. and I 
tan better afford to have it idle when not in use 
Mother Beet Showing Seed. Fig. 294. 
service have been less than $50. The average oper¬ 
ating expense (gasoline and oil) is about 50 cents 
per trip of about 25 miles, nearly all this distance 
on State roads. During this time he had no motor 
troubles or accidents of any kind. This truck is 
used for road work only. Other operators of trucks 
report similar results where the owners operate 
them- g. w. d. 
Western New York. 
A Maggot Fly-Trap. 
Diminishing the Nuisance in Manure. 
r is now well known that the com¬ 
mon house-fly breeds in fresh horse 
manure. While it will breed in 
other forms of manure or trash, it pre¬ 
fers the horse manure, and there are 
very few of the young flies produced 
in other substances. If the horse ma¬ 
nure can be properly handled, there¬ 
fore. either to keep the flies away from 
it. or to carry substances which kill the young flies, 
we can greatly diminish this nuisance. Equal parts 
of kainit and acid phosphate used in the stable and 
on the manure pile will greatly help. One of the 
most effective remedies for this purpose is powdered 
borax, which when sifted over small piles of ma¬ 
nure will destroy many of the young flies. 
The scientists at the Department of Agriculture 
have now developed a new fly-trap which appears 
to give very good results. This trap is based upon 
the fact observed by the scientists that the mag¬ 
gots which represent one part of the life history of 
the fly move about in the manure pile. The trap 
was contrived to work them out of the pile in this 
stage of their life and destroy them. Briefly de¬ 
scribed, this trap consists of a shallow concrete 
basin near the stable, and where the manure is 
thrown out. A concrete floor is first laid 22 feet 
long and 12 wide. A wall or rim of concrete four 
inches high and four inches thick is run around this 
floor. An outlet pipe four inches in diameter runs 
from one corner of this floor to a basin or pit. 
There is a slope to the floor, so that water will run 
easily through this pipe. On the floor of this con¬ 
crete basin is placed a wooden platform 20 feet, 
long and 10 feet wide. This is raised upon legs 
one foot high. The framework of the platform is 
made of 2x4 studding. Across the top of this frame¬ 
work are nailed strips 10 feet long, 1 Vi inch thick, 
and one inch wide. These strips are nailed one inch 
apart, and that is all there is to it. The manure 
is thrown out upon this slatted platform, and is 
piled up to a height of 3Vj to four feet. This plat¬ 
form was found just about large enough to hold 
the manure made by three horses in two months. 
Every day after the fresh manure is thrown on, 
the manure pile is sprinkled with water. Enough 
is used thoroughly to moisten the manure, but not 
to leach through. The concrete basin below the 
