VARIATION IN THE CANE AND CANE VARIETIES 49 



sively in Brazil. The fame of the cane spread to the Dutch East Indies, 

 and Crawfurd*^ records that in 1820 it was the variety most cultivated ; 

 by 1840, however, its cultivation there had almost ceased. It did not reach 

 Mexico till 1840, when it was introduced by Hermenegildo Felix,*^ being first 

 planted at Chiconcuac. 



The Otaheite canes as existing in that island have been briefly described 

 under their native names by Cuzent.^" It seems likely that the cane he 

 describes as To Oura is the Otaheite Ribbon cane referred to above, and that 

 the native name of the yellow Otaheite cane is Vaihi, or Uouo. 



About 1780 the Dutch also introduced canes from Java to St. Eustatius 

 and to Surinam. ^2 These canes included a purple cane and a ribbon cane 

 and duplicated those introduced by Cossigny. There was also then probably 

 introduced the cane known at an early period as the Java Yellow Violet, and 

 which is the same as the WTiite Transparent. These canes also travelled 

 through the West Indies and reached Louisiana in 1825, through the agency 

 of Coiron, where they eventually became known as the Home Ribbon and 

 Home Purple. From Louisiana they were brought to Hawaii, becoming 

 known there as Louisiana Striped and Louisiana Purple. In 1840 the light- 

 coloured variety was taken to Mexico by Manuel Maria, and grown at the 

 St. Nicholas plantation.^^ The Java Yellow Violet may perhaps be that 

 mentioned by Tussac under the name of "bonne blanche," or "good white," 

 which he describes as having a green stalk washed with violet. 



A very interesting reference to the canes grown at the beginning of the nine- 

 teenth century is made by Humboldt. He mentions three varieties as under 

 cultivation in the West Indies and Venezuela : — the Otaheite cane, the Violet 

 cane, and the old Creole cane. He mentions the fears of the Cuban planters 

 that the newly introduced Otaheite would not ratoon as long as the Creole, 

 and actually the cane that has survived as the fittest under Cuban conditions 

 is the Transparent or Yellow Violet of Wray, known in Cuba as the Crystalina. 



The introductions referred to above have a most important bearing on the 

 cane sugar industr}'. Some later introductions are referred to below. 



In 1848, after the Otaheite cane in Mauritius had suffered from an 

 epidemic, SirWiUiam Gomm, then Governor of Mauritius, caused canes to be 

 introduced from Java.^^ One of these became widely planted under the 

 name of Bellouguet ; this cane is none other than the Purple Java cane 

 already referred to. Two other canes introduced at the same time were 

 also cultivated under the names of Diard rose and Diard rayee. The first 

 of these was at that time known in Java as Japara. These canes are probably 

 to be identified with the Java Yellow Violet, White Transparent, Crystalina, 

 etc., and with the Red Ribbon, Guingham, Striped Cheribon, etc. 



In 1854 two varieties of cane arrived at the Hawaiian Islands direct from 

 Otaheite in the ship " George Washington," Captain Pardon Edwards. ^^ 

 One of these became the standard cane of those islands, and received the 

 name of Lahaina from the district where it was first cultivated. 



In 1857 the original Otaheite (Cayenne) stock in Brazil had become 

 infected \\Tth disease, and introductions were made from Mauritius, Herman 

 Herbst, an intelligent German gardener, being sent there. He returned with 

 the Penang, the Diard, and a cane rechristened Vermehla or Rouxada, the 

 descendants of which are still cultivated in Brazil. 



A little before 1870 many introductions were made to Mauritius from 

 Java, Brazil, and New Caledonia, the last-named introductions being due to 

 Lavignac.^2 The origin of the Louzier cane from this introduction has 



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