160 STtTDIES IN INDIAN SUGARCANES 



thr 8iimial)ilo ^roiii) at this period sliows a greater iminlxM- of shocttinp 

 buds — the figures being 177 for Sunnabile and 12-7 for Saretha. I have 

 selected Saretha and Kaghzc stools, of the same age and dissected at the 

 same time, to show the difference in rate of maturing. Photographs of the 

 dissections are to be seen in Plate IV. 



(2) The order of branchiit.g extends furtlier in the Saretha group, branches 

 of the fourth order bein.g found in members of this series, whereas none are 

 present in the Sunn.abile varieties beyond the third order. This fact is M 

 some importance as suggesting a more primitive character in the Saretha 

 varieties, in that, generally speaking, the more primitive a cane, the higher 

 the order of itr, branches. This will be clear from the following. The wild 

 Saccharums dissected have canes formed of branches up to the fifth order, 

 whereas the thick cane varieties are usually content with the second or third 

 order. The groups of Indian canes fall between these two extrem.es. and 

 I have constructed the following conventional formulee for the clumps at 



maturity m each case :— 



a h c d c f 



Wild Saccharums 12 3 3 2 1 



Saretha class 13 5 3 1 



Sunnabile class 15 5 1 



Thick, tropical canes 1 3 (1 ?) ^ 



