C. A. BARBER 95 



of later formed branches, which in their turn approach tlieir optimum. This 

 being the case, there will be a point of time in the life of each clump when the 

 juice in the early and late canes tends to be of about the same richness, a period 

 of equilibrium which may be regarded as the optimum of richness in the juice 

 of the whole clump. It is probable that this point of time will vary in each 

 clump of the same variety, even under the same conditions ; it is likely that it 

 will vary more in different varieties of the same group, and still more in the 

 different groups. Besides this, the maximum richness of the juice in the clumps 

 in any variety will naturally depend upon whether it is an early or' late maturin*"- 

 kind. Mungo and 8unnabile varieties are later in maturing than Nargori 

 and Saretha, and this opens up the question as to when the optimum as regards 

 sucrose in the juice occurs, as it will of necessity be different in different varie- 

 ties. Reaping all the canes at one time will therefore not be likely to <n\e the 

 desired information, for, while in some the as are the richest, in others these 

 will be overripe and the 6s or cs will have taken their place. In the Pansahi 

 group of canes there is evidence that, generally, the as are richer than the fes, 

 and so on throughout the series of canes in a clump, but we have not at present 

 been able to adduce .satisfactory evidence that this is the case at croj) time 

 in the other varieties dissected. We may therefore, for the present, reoard 

 the matter as left for further observation and experiment, and our increased 

 knowledge of the characters by which early and late canes can be detected in a 

 clump should assist in the carrying out of this study. 



