195 

 CANE SEEDLING CULTIVATION. 



Report on cultivation of seedling canes at the Royal Botanic 

 Gardens. Read before tlie Agricultural Society on the 14th April, 



189G. 



Early in the year an examination was made of the seedling canes grown in 

 tlie Royal Botanic Gardens, but as the results sheM'ed that the canes were far 

 from being ripe, it was considered unadvisable to pnl)lish them. Arrangements 

 however were made for a further examination in March, and the following table 

 shows the results obtained during that month, which we trust may be found 

 useful for practical purposes. The examination was based upon the value of tlie 

 Bourbon cane, as grown side by side with seedlmgs, so as to ascertam the relative 

 value of the latter without reference to the class of soil in which the plants 

 were grown. 



A planter therefore who knows what the Bourbon yields will be able from 

 the table to estimate approximately what the seedlings may be worth on his owai 

 land. It will be noticed that the Caledonian Queen and Bourbon gave a similar 

 yield of sucrose and taking the value of the seedlings from the sucrose column 

 alone, it will be seen that eleven of the seedlings gave a superior yield to either 

 of these. The yield of Nos. 74 and 78 is low but there were circumstances 

 which account for this, and they are therefore not strictly comparable with 

 others, and their value should rest upon the Demerara examination and not 

 upon ours. 



Several other Demerara canes were also under a similar disadvantage, having 

 suffered from too much shade. A cane of No. 95 was tried in January and was 

 found to maintain its high reputation, it was therefore considered best to use all 

 further material for propagation rather than lose it in the mill for testing 

 purposes. 



From our examination the canes which stand first, both as sugar producers 

 and croppers are Nos. 61, 102, and 95, and Nos. 1 and 2, these latter indeed 

 gave the highest yield of all, quite unexpectedly. They were raised in the 

 gardens from seed sent us by Mr. Bovell of Barbados, and previously had not 

 been tested. They are light purple canes and fairly good croppers. 



The * " Murray" cane is a good cropper and the fastest growing cane among 

 the set, but is poor in juice. 



The * " Robinson" is a poor grower and poor in juice. 



The * " Hutson" is a very heavy cropper, a hardy cane, and is likely I believe 

 to liecome a favourite with some planters from its vigorous character and freedom 

 from disease. 



The * " Callender" is fairly rich but does not give enough canes to a stool. 



The * "Hart" cane with the last four mentioned are from a set raised at 

 Dodd's Barbados ; it is a robust looking cane of the Bourbon type, and a fair 

 sugar producer. 



No. 53 is a peculiarly brittle cane as a slight pull will snap the cane at its 

 base, and it is quite difficult from the want of fibre to get the canes to draw 

 through our mill. It would be a splendid cane for sale in local markets, as a 

 cane for eating in tlie fresh state. 



Nos. 1.32 and 128 are both pretty canes, but their yield is poor. 



No. 125 is a cane giving a hard woody megass. The question of quality and 

 quantity of megass is one which must enter into tlie planter's consideration in 

 determining the cane most profitable for him to grow for it has been found that 

 the megass of some kinds of canes does not give the same heating power as 



* These canes shoiced marked improvement a month later. 



