932 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



G,744 lbs. White Transparent, the cane at present usually planted in the island, 

 under the same conditions gave 5,799 lbs. per acre. In the rattoon crops (jf (t 

 bl^ck soil and 2 red soil estates, 1> 208 gave $2.58 worth of sugar more than 

 White Transparent and B 1529 $14.08 less. B 376 has proved a promising cane, 

 averaging as plant cane in tbe black soil districts $.3.93 per acre more than tlie 

 White Transparent. As plant canes on 3 red soil estates, B 208 produced sugar 

 valued at $32.32, B 1529, $23.71, and B 370, $10.31 more tban the White Trans- 

 parent. As rattoons on 2 red soil estates White Transparent gave $10.27 per 

 acre more than B 208, $2.85 more than B 370, and $80.85 more than B 1529. The 

 data given also show that the average results with B 147 are better than those 

 with White Transparent. An outline of future work is given. 



Improvement of sugar cane by selection and hybridization, F. A. Stock- 

 dale {A liter. Breeders' Assoc. Proe., 2 (1906), ji/i. I'/S-lo')). — A description is 

 given of this work as carried on under the direction of the Imiterial Department 

 of Agriculture for the West Indies. 



The influence of direct sunlight and diffused daylight on the development 

 of the sugar beet, S. Strakosch {Seijanitc from Osferr. Viu/ur. Ztsclir. Zuck- 

 criiKliis. u. IjuhIw., 1906. Xo. i, pp. 11. fif/s. 2). — It was found that the sugar 

 beet will reach its normal develoiiment when grown in diffused light, provided 

 this is sufticiently strong. Direct sunlight, however, increased the sul)stance in 

 the plant, the increase being greater in the root than in the leaves. Growth in 

 diffused light increased the nonsugars and decreased the percentage of sugar. 

 The decrease in sugar content was not so marked as the decrease in the sub- 

 stance in the plant. 



Intercellular transpiration proved to be stronger in the normal leaves than 

 in those grown exclusively in diffused light, which, however, seemed to have a 

 stronger epidermal transpiration. As compared with the plants grown in th(? 

 shade, the leaves produced in direct sunlight contained larger-size stomata, 

 and a larger number on the upper than on the lower side of the leaf. The 

 translocation of the assimilation products in the shade-grown leaves was not so 

 rapid as in the other plants. An increase in light intensity diminished the 

 monosaecharids in comparison with the disaccharids of the leaves. Dextrose 

 was found to be the predominating monosaccharid in the beet leaf. 



The author concludes that the experiments suggest that the sugar in the beet 

 leaf is not to be regarded as an intermediate product, but as a completely 

 elaborated reserve material, which moves as such into the body of the beet. 



The consumption of plant food by seed beets and transplanted beets, K. 

 Andrlik, J. Urban, and V. Stanek {Zitschr. Zuckerindus. Bohrnen, 31 {1907), 

 No. 6, pp. 339-350). — This second report on the subject deals with the use of 

 plant food by the seed beet, and the data presented show that for the production 

 of 3,50(5 kg. of seed per hectare 102.4 kg. of potash, 140.5 kg. of nitrogen, and 

 49.4 kg. of phosphoric acid are required. The relation of the quantities of plant- 

 food elements in the beet at the end of the growing period of the second year 

 was as follows: Phosphoric acid 1, nitrogen 2.84, and potash 3.29. 



Analysis of sugar beet seed, E. Sciiribaux and L. Bussard {Semaliie Af/r. 

 [Paris], 21! (1907), No. 13 ',S. pp. 8',. 85: Proii. Aijr. et Tit. (Ed FEst), 28 (1907). 

 No. I'h pp. Ifl3-Jfl7). — Based on the results of their investigations, the authors 

 recommend that in the commerce of sugar-beet seed the following requirements 

 be regarded as standard : That after 14 days of testing, the number of bolls 

 germinating must be at least 70 per cent for the seed weighing less than 18 gm. 

 per 1,000 bolls, 75 per cent for those weighing 18 to 22 gm.. and 80 per cent for 

 those weighing more than 22 gm. ; that after 5 days of testing at least 80 

 per cent of the bolls capable of germinating must have produced a germ, or, in 



