SUGAR CROPS 1775 



9. The sugar process can only be used in preparing crepe-rubber 

 because of the porous state of the clot, gas bubbles being formed during 

 the fermentation. 



10. Other coagulants have been discussed, chiefly in view of the 

 preparation of sheet-rubber. 



IT. Thereby attention was drawn upon the dangers involved by 

 the use of coagulants such as sulfuric acid, puruh and aluin. 



12. The acidity- of coconiit watei after fermentation did not exceed 

 0.45 per cent of acetic acid. 



13. It was found that rubber prepared by the sugar process had 

 the same viscosity index as a control sample made by means of acetic acid 

 from the same batch of latex. 



14. The mechanical properties were found to be identical. 



1283 - Studies in Indian Sugarcanes, No. 2. — barber C. a. [Government Sugarcane Ex- SUGAR CROPS 

 pert, Madras), in Memoirs of the Department of Agriculture in India (" Sugarcane Seedlings, 

 including some Correlations between Morphological Characters and Sucrose in the Jioice ") 

 Botanical Series, Vol. VIII, No. 3, pp. 103-198. Plates I-XXIX and numerous tables. Cal- 

 cutta, July 1916. 



The present contribution to the study of sugarcane seedlings in India 

 is divided into 4 sections. The first of these deals with the material avail- 

 able and contains an enumeration of the seedlings thtis far raised, with 

 notes as to the chief difficulties encountered and the means by which thes 

 have been overcome. The second discusses the differences noted in the 

 youthful characters of the seedlings before planting out and at maturity. The 

 next section treats of the mode cf analyses adopted and the variations in 

 the juice of the seedlings as regard sucrose content, and the last summarises 

 the correlations thus far studied between the characters of mature seedlings 

 and the amount of sucrose in the juice. 



The experiments were conducted at the Government Cane Breeding Sta- 

 tion at Coimbatore in the Madras Presidencj^ with a certain amount of pre- 

 liminary work at the Botanical Garden attached to the local Agricultural 

 College. 



I. — Enumeration of the seedlings raised. — The failure of pre- 

 vious sporadic attempts at raising cane seedlings in India is probably due to 

 the fact that fertilization was not property effected owing to the immature 

 state of the pollen used. A detailed study of cane inflorescences has shown 

 that the pollen is only fully developed where the anther locales have deliisced. 

 It has been found that if the authers do not open when the flowers mature 

 they remain closed permanently ; it is therefore clear that the first essential 

 to raising canes from seed is that only flowers should be used in which the 

 anthers dehisce. 



The sugarcane commences to flower at Coimbatore in October and most 

 of the seedlings are obtained during the following 2 months. They are plantd 

 out in the field when about 6 months old and are ready for harvesting and 

 analysis after another 12 or 18 months from sowing. In this way the seed 

 lings obtained during any particular season are designated by the years 

 of sowing and of chemical analyses. 



