214 EXPEEIMENT STATION KECORD. 



ditferently affected by soil, climate, etc. In some cases plants g-rown 

 from seed from widely different regions did not show any appreciable 

 difference; in others, marked differences may ,be noted in compara- 

 tively slight changes. An example was cited in which a variety of 

 watermelon was grown in Michigan and in a Gulf State, the seed being 

 from the same source, and the progeny was so similar as to defy any 

 detectable differences. The effect of cultural and climatic influences 

 is cumulative. This was illustrated by the simultaneous occurrence in 

 widely separated regions of bush forms of Lima beans, sweet peas, 

 etc. These plants ordinarily grow in climbing forms, but bush forms 

 suddenly appeared in different parts of the United States, seeming 

 to indicate that the influences had been simultaneously working in 

 different regions. Stock produced by an individual grower will vary 

 wideh" during different seasons. Seed from the same stock, equally 

 well grown under precisely the same conditions, show marked differ- 

 ences in the tendency to adhere to type in different seasons. Seeds 

 from individual pedigreed stock plants vary widely in their progeny, 

 and the only way to secure uniformity is to define an ideal, select care- 

 fulh^, and propagate carefully, so as to secure a lineal descent of a 

 single typical plant. 



Dr. D. Morris, Imperial commissioner of agriculture for the West 

 Indies, read a paper on the Cross Fertilization of the Sugar Cane, in 

 which he described the experiments in the West Indies in the improve- 

 ment of sugar cane. The subjects for consideration are a greater ton- 

 nage of cane, a greater yield of juice, a higher sugar content, and a 

 cane immune to diseases. More than 60 varieties of canes have been 

 imported from all parts of the world and tested at the various West 

 Indian stations. Special attention has been paid to bud variation, and 

 a few examples have been found, which were briefly described. Some 

 of these are quite promising as improvements over the older varieties, 

 and so far they tend to come true to color. Nearly all of the bud vari- 

 ations or sports which have been under investigation originated from 

 the ribbon or striped cane. Planting from different parts of cane has 

 not given results of any great value or improvement, and selection by 

 analysis of the cane juice does not appear to offer promise of definite 

 results, nor has selection proved of value when the richest canes have 

 been taken individually. Where the richest clump in a field was 

 tested there was some indication of value, and this is believed to war- 

 rant further investigation. A description was given of attempts to 

 .produce new varieties from seed. The fact that the sugar cane some- 

 times produced fertile seed VTas established about 1887. At that time 

 fungus diseases had almost entirely destroyed many of the best vari- 

 eties in Java and in the West Indies. A careful examination of the 

 flowers, which are very small and very numerous, showed that occa- 

 sionally a few seed in a panicle were produced, frequently only 2 or 3 



