62 



TILLERING IN INDIAN SUGARCANES 



this'statement it is seen that the average number of canes per clump, in the 

 thin Indian varieties grown there, is 8-16, in the half-thick forms {Khelia, 

 Striped Bansa, Puri and Sukli) 7-8 {Dahlsunder 5-5), and in the thick, imported 

 varieties, 4-6. It is not possible to deduce accurate acreage numbers from the 

 table, because the details are not given of the space occupied by the clumps 

 investigated. But the plants were put in at about 6,000 to the acre, and, assum- 

 ing that the countings would not be taken where clumps had failed, as this would 

 vitiate the results because of different spacing, we get, for the thin canes^ 

 48,000-96,000 canes per acre, for the half-thick, 42,000-48,000, and, for the 

 thick, 24,000—36,000. The latter figure tallies fairly well with those obtained 

 for the cane varieties grown in the tropics. Numerous data can be obtained 

 for these, and I have selected a few at haphazard from various sources. 



Louisiana : Purple cane, 35,000. 



Java : Cherihon, 20,000 ; J. 247, 31,000 ; J. 36, 32,000 ; J. 100,-Ii<,im. 



Madras (Godavari delta) : Namalu, 25,000 ; Mogali, 20,000 ; Keli, 

 31,000; Seema, 22,000; Yerra, 37,500, etc. 

 In almost all of these cases we note that, the thicker the cane, the fewer 

 there are to the acre, and the general observation of this fact has led various 

 writers to suggest that, given similar conditions of soil, climate and treatment, 

 practically the same weight of cane may be reaped per acre whatever the 

 variety may be. This principle appears to be fairly well established, jjrovided 

 that the cane varieties compared belong to the same natural class. A rather 

 striking confirmation of this principle, that thickness and canes per acre are 

 negatively correlated, may be seen in the following table, the details of which 

 have been extracted from Memoir III, where the Saretha and Sunnabile groups 

 of canes are contrasted (c/. pp. 166-167 and 169). These canes were all 

 grown on adjacent plots under the same conditions. 



In this table the varieties of each group (all that were measured) are 

 arranged in order of tillering power and, in the second column, where the 



