136 TILLERING IN INDIAN SUGARCANES 



Pansahi Group. 

 The Pansahi group is very homogeneous, and no subdivisions have as 

 yet been observed in it. The geographical range is fairly wide, but only 

 in an east and west direction. No examples have as yet been received from 

 the Peninsula area, although members of the group have been met \vith in 

 every province from the Punjab to Burma. The greatest development of 

 the group is perhaps in Bihar, but Kahu is found in the Punjab and Thin 

 Moulmein in Burma. The group is of especial interest in that it contains 

 ganna canes, that is, those intermediate between the thin, hardy ukh canes 

 and the paunda or thick che\dng class ; also "that it includes the Yuha, which 

 is the chief variety gro^^^l in Natal. This cane is of special interest in that it 

 appears to have reached Natal from Brazil where it is regarded as a " country " 

 cane.i It is quite conceivable therefore that it is the cane taken from the 

 Punjab by Alexander the Great in 326 B. C.^ 



Cane formation takes place early, and the varieties all grow well at Coim- 

 batore ; they are very free growing and appear to be little inconvenienced 

 by the rather tenacious, saltish land. In habit, they are regularly cup-shaped, 

 and the leaves fall in a wide curve all round the centre. In branching, they 

 are often very symmetrical {cf. fig. 1, p. 157, Mem. Ill), the inner canes being 

 straight, and the succeeding ones more or less curved according to their distance 

 from the centre ; strong curves are found in the later canes, and ruimers are 

 not uncommon. The attachments are very firm and thick, making it possible 

 to dissect great portions at a time \\-ithout separating the branches. In many 

 respects the branching system strikingly reminds one of that of SaccJiarum 

 cmimlinaceum, although there is no trace of connection mth that mid form in 

 the other morphological characters. The canes are fairly straight but the 

 joints, especially in the later canes, are long and markedly zigzag, and the nodes 

 are prominent.^ The Plate following illustrates the general form in Maneria 

 and Pansahi, but the diagrams of these are not given, as that in Memoir III, 

 referred to above, will suffice. On the other hand, diagrams are given of 

 Yuha, and a remarkably well grown plant of this variety is included. (Pis. 

 XXII and XXIII.) 



The length of joint shows great regularity in its increase in the branches of 

 successive orders, and the length of the basal part bears evidence of the strong 

 curvature in the later branches. In thickness, the as and the 6s are practically 

 equal and difter widely from the cs and ch, thus dividing the canes of the 

 clump into early and late formed canes, which separation is very characteristic 

 of the group. These points are well brought out in th^ appended table. 



^ Deeir, Noel. The Origin of the Uba Cane. I ntenmtional Sugar Journal, April, 1918, p. 164. 



2 0. A. Barber. The Origin of the Uba Cane. Iniernaiional Sugar Joiunal, September, 

 1918. p. 706. 



^ For fuller description cf a cane of this group, see Mem. I, pp. 95-103 and Plates 

 XV, XVI and XIX. 



