102 TILLERING IN INDIAN SUGARCANES 



the formula? obtained for t.eparate plants will be of any niorpholoj^ical value. 

 Undoubtedly, if we planted a series of single budded sets, we should expect 

 better data as to the tillering power of different varieties, but this would greatly 

 limit the field of observation. We have, however, instituted such an experiment 

 during the present season, with the added factor that each plant is allowed 

 as much room as it is likely to be able to occupy. Meantime, it has been found 

 that, with the large number of dissections made, the average formulae obtained 

 for different varieties are of service, and that the varieties examined differ 

 sufficiently for their mode of branching to be added to the already numerous 

 classification characters which we have observed in our study of indigenous 

 Indian cane varieties. We have, indeed, an additional advantage in this 

 variation in development of the individual plants, namely, that in each case 

 we have a series of plants of different sizes, and are thus in a better position to 

 judge of the ultimate possible development in each case. But, even if the 

 limiting of our formulae to the plant proved unsatisfactory, we could alwaj's 

 at once deduce those for clumps by adding the respective plant formula) toge- 

 ther, whereas we could not make the converse adjustment. And, lastly, it is 

 difficult to see how the diagram could be prepared with more than one original 

 main shoot. 



At the conmiencement of our work, it occurred to us that tbe^ position 

 of the buds on the set might possibly have an influence on their gro^^'th. Thus 

 the end buds of the set might, because of more room, develop into stronger 

 plants, just as they do at the ends of the rows. But, as the result of many 

 observations, we have not been able to trace any difference to this cause, as 

 sometimes the middle bud was the largest and sometimes the end bud. The 

 plants are apparently too close together for this factor to have any influence. 

 Similarly, the relative positions of buds above or below the set had apparently 

 no influence on the ultimate development of the plant, the arrangements where- 

 by the shoots can alter their position being so perfect that they soon were 

 able to place themselves in an ecjually favourable position {cf. PI. VII, fig. 1, 

 and also Note on p. 51). 



We have seen that the bud on a set, on sprouting, develops more or less 

 rapidly into a shoot consisting of joints, leaves, buds and roots. At an early 

 stage of gro\\i;h, the buds, especially the lower ones, push their way through 

 the enveloping leaf sheaths and also form similar shoots. We indicate the 

 main shoot by the letter a, and use 6s for its branches, or those of the first 

 order ; the 6s in turn give rise to cs or branches of the second order, and further 

 branching proceeds on similar lines to the ds, e&,fa, etc., according to the variety 



