C, A. BARBER 125 



in them, but few had any open anthers, and some of these seedlings were 

 accordingly crossed with one parent, Saccharum sfontaneum, the only plant 

 with open anthers at the time. No time has unfortunately been available 

 for the study of this interesting series. The spontaneum-like class of seedlings 

 from Naanal were, however, provided with abundant open anthers and several 

 of these were selfed as well as crossed by Saccharum sfontaneum. It is unfor- 

 tunate that these interesting seedlings flower at a time when no thick canes 

 have yet arrived at this stage for, by selecting the best of them, the way might 

 be opened for obtaining a new set of canes presumably of a veiy hardy nature. 

 A further small set of seedlings was also obtained in 1913-15 by crossing 

 Sarefha, another North Indian cane, with Saccharum s'pontaneum. 



4. Period 1914-16. 



During the first two years, considerable changes were made in the treat- 

 ment of seedlings after removal from their pots. When the seedlings have 

 been growing* for about six months they are transferred from them and planted 

 out in the field. In the first period, 1911-13, as has been stated, the 

 few seedlings obtained were treated very generously, three-foot pits 

 being dug and filled with prepared earth and manure. The conditions in 

 which they were planted made it advisable to treat them as " pot plants," 

 and enough material was provided in the pits for their growth to maturity. 

 Even in these pits the plants were attacked by white ants and certain 

 seedlings were killed, but on the whole their growth was remarkably 

 rapid and healthy, especially in those derived from local parentage. The 

 1912-14 seedlings, planted on better land and irrigated with less saline water, 

 were put into two-foot pits, in order, if possible, to reduce tlie great vigour of 

 the seedlings and bring them more into line with ordinary cane plants. The 

 growth was still luxuriant and, in succeeding years, the exceptional treatment 

 of the seedlings was gradually reduced until, in 1914-16, half of them were 

 planted in one-foot holes and the rest in trenches. Concurrently with this, 

 the treatment of the seedlings grown a second year from cuttings was gradually 

 improved, for it was found that the growth of the seedlings when first propagated 

 vegetatively was distinctly precarious, and a certain number of them died out. 

 This attempt at equalizing had also another reason. The analysis of the 

 Cheni seedlings in their second year showed a very marked increase in sucrose 

 in the juice, and it was thought that this might be due to the excessive vigour 

 of the seedlings in the large pits. Sufficient evidence has not yet been accu- 

 mulated on this subject but, on studying any batch of seedlings and their 

 analyses, the general impression makes itself felt that there is an inverse 



