170 STUDIES IN INDIAN SUGARCANES 



The average numbers of canes and shoots over one foot in ]cn.gth in the 

 two series were 24 and 16 respectively. But certain other points may be 

 noted in these figures. It will be seen, if reference is made to the list of varieties 

 at the commencement of this section, that in each series the amount of tillering 

 is the exact converse of the thickness of the cane in the variety, that is, the 

 thicker canes have fewer branches. Also, the thicker varieties of the Saretha 

 group, Khari, Hullu Kabbu and Gainla Cheni, belonging to the Mesangan 

 section, are intermediate between Chin and Saretha, belonging to the Katha 

 section, and the Sunnabile group. 



We are justified by the figures in stating that the tillering of the Saretha 

 group is greater than that in the Sunnabile, and this result is in accordance 

 with the idea already expressed that the former group contains more 

 primitive varieties. 



Dissection of Stools. 



The mode of branching ajjpears to differ in the Sunnabile and Saretha 

 groups. This has been demonstrated by a dissection of the stools in six varie- 

 ties of each group, and the branching is seen to extend to a higher order in 

 the latter group. For a discussion of this difference, reference may be made 

 to the preceding special note on the subject (Section III). 



Flowering, Anthesis, Seed-formation. 



There is perhaps no character in which the Saretha and Sunnabile groups 

 differ more widely from one another than in their frequency of flowering, the 

 proportion of open anthers found in the arrows and the ease with which seed- 

 lings can be raised from them. The following are the results obtained during 

 the exceptionally favourable season of 191.5-16, when 35 indigenous Indian 

 canes flowered on the farm. Saretha, Lalri, Katha, Kansar, all floAvered pro- 

 fusely, a matter of special interest because I believe that the last three, being 

 Punjab canes, have never been known to flower before. In the same group, 

 Chin, Baraalha, Hullu Kahhu, Khari, Memtiyan and Cheni also flowered. In 

 each of these ten varieties some at least of the arrows had over 90% of the 

 anthers open. Between 3,000 and 4,000 seedlings were obtained from them, 

 but this number could easily have been multiplied ten times if it was thought 

 advisable to do so. It may be mentioned that, in North India, a few canes 

 flower sporadically every year and these are usually Khari and Saretha of this 

 group, and they are practically the only canes which do so, as it has been 

 found safe, when noting cane arrows in a plot, to assume that either Saretha 

 01 Khariis present. Turning to the Sunnabile group, Dhor an(\ Kaghze flowered 



