THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE SUGAR-CANE BY HYBRIDISATION, 329 
results than White Transparent when grown on an estate scale. These 
tables have been furnished through the courtesy of Mr. Cameron, and 
embody the results obtained on certain estates in Barbados under his 
direction, on which canes of different varieties have been grown, and 
show comparisons between 693} acres of B. 147, 38 acres of B. 208, and 
411 acres of White Transparent for the seasons 1903-5. 
Jamaica.—Cousins, in his report on the work of the sugar experiment 
station in Jamaica for 1905, states that some very good seedling canes, 
resulting from naturally cross-fertilised seed, have been produced and are 
being submitted to a rigid selection. 
About 8,000 seedlings are now being grown each year in Jamaica; 
therefore a series of Jamaica seedlings worthy of trial on an estate scale 
should soon be available. 
In the trials of the imported varieties, B. 208 gave a tonnage of 65:5 
tons of canes per acre, and is being recommended to planters “as the 
most promising seedling cane at present grown in Jamaica.” 
The author of the report also points out that about 100,000 plants of 
selected varieties were distributed during the past year, which clearly 
shows that the planters of Jamaica fully appreciate the introduction and 
trial of new varieties of canes. 
Leeward Islands——The results recently issued by the Imperial 
Department of Agriculture for the West Indies on the work carried on 
by Watts at Antigua show that B. 208 gave an average yield of 9,347 lb. 
saccharose per acre in plant canes and 5,001 lb. in ratoons, against 
7,014 lb. in plant canes and 4,265 lb. saccharose per acre in ratoons of 
White Transparent. In St. Kitts, B. 208 gave an average yield per acre 
of 8,675 lb. saccharose in plant canes and 6,648 lb. in ratoons, against 
7,014 lb. saccharose in plant canes and 5,861 Ib. in ratoons of White 
Transparent, while B. 147 gave a yield of 7,133 lb. in plant canes and 
6,174 lb. in ratoons. 
As these figures are the mean results of a large number of plots 
carried on for four years in plant canes and for three years in ratoons 
in Antigua, and for five and four years respectively in St. Kitts, it shows 
that seedling canes are of considerable economic value to planters in the 
Leeward Islands. 
Demerara.—tIn Demerara, up to the beginning of 1905, nearly one- 
third of a million of seedling canes had been raised by obtaining seed 
from good standard varieties, and 26,000 of these had been selected for 
field experiments. Harrison, at the last West Indian Agricultural Con- 
ference (1905), stated that 14,800 acres were under cultivation with 
varieties other than Bourbon, and of these about 13,000 acres were 
occupied by new seedling varieties, the favourite ones with the planters 
being D. 109, B. 147, D. 145, D. 625 and B. 208. It is estimated that 
D. 145 bears a ratio to the Bourbon in respect to saccharose yield per 
acre aS 170°8 is to 100. 
At the end of 1905, the area under cultivation in varieties of canes 
other than Bourbon extended to 18,000 acres, and as opportunity offers 
further extension is being undertaken. This is nearly one-fifth of the 
acreage under cane cultivation in British Guiana, and shows that planters 
have been ready to appreciate what has been done for them in the matter 
