\^\RIATION IN THE CANE AND CANE VARIETIES 41 



P.O.J. 228. — 'Chunnee x Black Cheribon. Stalk, rose-brown, splashed dark 

 brown. Rind fissures present, no growth fissures Wax layer, distinct and 

 smooth, later becoming black. Wax ring in young jomts. Joints straight, in- 

 verted cone below, cylindrical above, concave on eye side, very convex on opposite, 

 9-15 X 2- 2-2- 7 cms. Pith smooth and massive, small fistula ; rind thin and tough. 

 Growth ring horizontal, bronze to brown-yellow. Root ring wide, slightly concave, 

 2-3 and sometimes 4 rows of roots. Eye channel scarcely noticeable. Eye very 

 large and wide with basal wing, obtuse above with small indentation at top, l>'ing 

 close to stalk. Germinating point central, nervation more or less radial. Hair 

 groups I, 2, 4, 6, lo, II, 12, 13, 14, 16, 19, 21, 26 ; 20 occasionally, 25 seldom. Leaf 

 sheath 27-31 cms. long, light green with some purple, striped with wax. Inner 

 auricle always present, very large half pipe-shaped, outer auricle when present 

 same shape. Ligule nearly horizontal bow-shaped above. Leaf 3.5 cms. wide. 

 Hair groups 51, 52, 53, 57, 58, 61, 66. 



P.O J. 234. — Lower joints green tinged with purple upper yellow-green with 

 thin brown striping, wax layer thick. Rind thinner than in other Java canes. 

 Growth ring, bronze where exposed and pale green or yellow in upper joints. Two 

 or three rows of roots. Wax ring narrow and in lower joints thickly covered with 

 wax. Eye channel conspicuous in middle joints. Eye narrow semicircular below 

 upper part making an angle a little less than 90°. Germinating point almost 

 apical, nerves fine and numerous. Hair groups i, 3, 12, 21, 23, 26 constant ; 2, 10, 

 16, 18, 19 variable. Inner auricle when present is 1-2 mms. long. The outer 

 auricle is 5-10 mms. long and always present. Leaf is long, narrow dark green, 

 callus pale yellowish green. 



B. 247. — Canne Morte or Red Fiji x Black Cheribon. Stalk, brown red to 

 reddish purple, flesh rose where protected. Rind and growth fissures present. Wax 

 layer distinct and very thick on young cane, decreasing with age, wax ring con- 

 spicuous. Joints zigzag, somewhat conical, bobbin-shaped in quick-growing cane, 

 slightly concave on eye side, convex on other, 12-14 X 3.25 cms. Pith ver>' smooth, 

 often shrivelled in the older central parts. Rind haid, growth ring green, brown to 

 red. Root ring green, brown red splashed, 2-3 rows of roots and sometimes 4 on 

 eye side. Eye channel rather often absent and only conspicuous on younger joints. 

 Eye, broad egg-shaped with lozenge-shaped top, flat and close to stem. Germinat- 

 ing point apical, and nervation converging to top. Hair groups i, 2, 4, 11, 12, 19, 

 21 constant, 10 sometimes, 5 seldom. Leaf sheath 30 cms. long with ridge 15-17 

 cms. long, 2 mm. high. Auricles absent. Ligule bow-shaped, smooth, very 

 small. Leaf 5 '5-6 cms. wide, upright with tops overhanging. 



Work of Perromat in Mauritius. 



In 1891 the individual enterprise of Perromat obtained a number of 

 seedlings, some of which have become cultivated to some extent there. 

 Amongst these are : — 



MP 33. — A green recumbent cane, often with some peculiar abortive 

 joints, medium girth, long internodes, a descendant of thePenang or Salangore 

 cane. 



MP 55. — ^A dark purple medium-sized cane. A descendant of the 

 Penang or Salangore cane. In the previous edition this cane was referred 

 to as 53. 



MP 131. — A small, upright, purple cane, extremely prolific in the number 

 of canes to a stool. 



Work of Barber and Venkataraman. 



Work in India has only started within the last few years. The task 

 here is different from elsewhere and lies in the problem of combining in a 

 h^rid the valuable characters of the indigenous Indian canes with those 

 of the richer tropical kinds, so as to obtain varieties suited to the extensive 

 subtropical areas of northern India. The preliminary studies so far published 

 indicate that a valuable research from the ground up is in process, but so far 

 the establishment of a new varietv is not on record. 



