Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-11-20
MUST b Of TIE BEST
Beet Sugar Industry is Not
Profitable Unless Good
Seed is Used
METHOD USED BY THE RUSSIANS
They Import German Mother Seed and
Raise First Class Beet Seed of Their
Own at Reduced Cost-Process Very
Simple and May Be Tried Here-Gen-
eral News.
Special to Times-Republ;can.

Special to Times Re publican.
Washington, d. c., Nov. 2O.-Seere-
tary Wilson says that there is no other
crop in which the success of large
operations and the profitable invest
ment Of millions of money is more de-
pendent upon the quality of the seed
sowed than in that of the sugar beet.
European sugar producers haye real
lied this for many years and our beet
sugar manufacturers are becoming
more convinced of it every season ana
are therefore urging the farmers to
obtain and SOW only the best seed.
The first-class sugar factories OF
Europe buy none but the very best seed,
grown from high-grade ind1vldual
mother beets, to distribute among
the beet growers; thus not only main
tanning the standard of their sugar
beets as to quality and quantity, but
also putting themselves in position
to compete in all the markets OF the
world, This first class seed is soid
and delivered by the growers on BOARD
cars in the Prussian province OF SAX
ony at from to 10 cents per pound.
which is a moderate price, considering
the fact that it takes at least TOUR
years to get it into the market.
Most OF the seed is imported mainly
from Germany and France, where spe-
cialists have for generations thru SCI
entific methods of breeding ana care
full selection, succeeded in growing seed
for beets with high sugar contents.
But imported beet seed is expensive,
and therefore efforts are being made in
divers sugar producing countries to
grow the supplies needed at home. Inc
success thus far has been rather in
different, particularly in the Uniteo
States. except in one or two LOCALITIES.
Even il the grower has all the scientl-
fic experience necessary and is fuiiy
equipped as to details. he still has
many difficulties originating from our
soil and climate. And 1T is a Well
known fact that many kinds of high
grade seed have seemed inclined to de-
generate more rapidly in our country
than elsewhere; but of late years con-
siderable progress has been made in
this direction, and there is every rea-
son to expect that ere long American
home grown beet seed will reach the
standard that has been attained by the
growers in Germany and France, for
Mr. Wilson says that SO far wherever
specially grown domestic seed has been
used in comparison with imported the
sugar contents of the resulting beets
has been higher than that from inn
ported seed, and that it would be poor
policy to depend longer on imported
seed.
The possibility always exists that by
failure of the crop or by reason OF
political or trade disturbance the sup
ply of seed may be cut off; but even
if this possibility be regarded as re-
mote, it is nevertheless true that Amer
lean sugar factories will never attain
their maximum profit until we have
beet seed especially produced to meet
American conditions. The problem
which the department Of agriculture
will seek to solve is where sugar-be
seed may be grown to give the best
results under the varying conditions
prevailing turnout the suger-beet belt.
All beet sugar growers will, therefore,
be particularly interested in the de-
scription of method which has been
sent to the state department. This
method which has been employed by
Russian growers of seed during re-
cent seasons has proved very success
full.
They import German mother seed,
from which they raise. in the course OF
two years, crop of first-class beet
seed with all the qualities of the or
iginal. In this way, it is said, they
get the very best of seed at half the
cost. Some of our beet-sugar people
may consider it worth while to see If
good marketable beet seed can not
also be grown in our own country
from imported mother seed.
The process used in Russia is very
simple. The mother seed is sown with
a machine drill in rows that are ten to
twelve inches part, about twenty to
thirty pounds to the acre. After the
seed has sprouted and sprung up, the
hoe must be kept busy, to prevent the
weeds from growing up with the young
plants. However, the plants are not
thinned, as is done when crop beets
are raised for sugar. but are allowed tc
grow until fall, just as they were sown
Before frost sets in the small beets thus
grown from the mother seed are dug
together with their tops, and those
which have some defect about the roots
or otherwise are picked out and thrown
aside. The smooth and perfect ones
are then put into pits, together with
their tops, not more than three beets
deep. The layers are put together
with their tops outward and the roots