Pomeroy: Bud Variations in Sugar Cane 



133 



(yellow color) and Black (purple color) purple cane, No. 64, Bird ; fourth, a 

 I'anna canes. Under the name of Yel- dark striped cane, No. 65, Garig. The 

 low Caledonia the White Tanna in yield and analyses of these canes have 

 1910 formed the major portion of the been annually made. They, except the 

 unirrigated plantings in the Hawaiian white, are entirely different from any 

 Islands, as Malabar it was the favorite other cane in our collection." 

 cane of Fiji, and as White Tanna it An interesting bud variation (Fig. 1) 

 covered extensive areas in Mauritius, was forwarded by the Hon. F. J, Clarke 

 All three of the Tanna canes were also from Kirton plantation in Barbados to 

 cultivated on a large scale in Australia, the West Indian Department of Agri- 

 Mr. James Clarke of North Queens- culture and was exhibited by Dr. Mor- 

 land reported that the first instance of ris, the Commissioner of Agriculture, 

 bud variation that he noticed was in at a meeting of the Barbados Agricul- 

 New South Wales, where he had charge tural Society in April, 1899. The speci- 

 of a large sugar plantation. Having men was a ribbon cane with very pro- 

 planted with his own hands some of the nounced stripes on the main stem. Four 

 Striped Tanna cane in an endeavor to successive joints had thrown off shoots, 

 establish there a variety resistant to the the first and third of which were striped 

 "gumming" disease, he noticed when with red like the parent cane, while the 

 cutting the canes that some of them second and fourth were unstriped yel- 

 were entirely yellow and some purple low canes. The resulting appearance 

 without stripes. One stalk was found was a striped parent cane bearing two 

 with the three lower joints striped like striped shoots on one side and two un- 

 Striped Tanna and the upper portion of striped shoots on the other side, 

 the stalk unstriped and completely yel- In March, 1900, Mr. S. B. Kirton, 

 low. The yellow and the purple canes proprietor of the Arthur Seat planta- 

 were planted separately, as were the tion, Barbados, observed several stools 

 joints from the stalk that was partly of cane showing bud variation growing 

 striped and partly yellow, and in each in the outside row of a field on his es- 

 case the resulting canes were true to tate. From a common base sprang red 

 the color of the cuttings planted. striped canes on one side and pale vel- 

 The following experiment^ is reported low unstriped canes on the other side 

 from Louisiana : "As an illustration of (Fig- 2). An examination of five 

 bud variation, some stalks of cane, clumps in which the phenomenon was 

 partly white and partly purple, were noticed gave the following figures: 

 selected from the field of Soniat Bros., 



Tchoupitoulas plantation. They were <j,„^^ ^f//; ^"^canet'^ 



called bastard canes. These stalks were j 6 6 



planted as follows: First row, the en- 2 9 6 



tire stalk ; second row, the white joints ; ^ 6 4 



third row, the colored joints. At the t ^ 6 



end of the season four distinct canes, ' 



as far as color could direct us, were ob- The cane originally planted was deter- 



tamed. Types of the four new vari- mined in each case to have been Red 



eties were selected and separately Ribbon (Striped Cheribon, yellow and 



planted and the next year were found blood red color). In one clump which 



to be nearly pure. Selection and sep- was examined carefully it was found 



arate plantmgs have been made each that a bud of the striped cane which was 



year since. These canes have been planted had produced a white cane 



named as follows : First, a white cane, which in turn produced a ribbon cane 



No. 29, Soniat; second, a light striped from a bud below the surface of the 



cane. No. 59. Nicholls ; third, a light ground. The white canes were identical 



•'Dr. W. Stubbs, Sugar Cane, 1897, p. 66. 



