756 Fluctuations 



From a scientific point of view the results are 

 quite striking. From the practical standpoint, 

 however, the question is, whether the " Ha- 

 waii " and other fertile varieties are adequate 

 to yield seedlings, which will surpass the 

 infertile " Cheribon " cane. Now " Hawaii " 

 averages 14# and ' ' Cheribon " 19#, and it 

 is easily understood that a " Hawaii'' seed- 

 ling with more than 19% can be expected 

 only from very large sowings. Hundreds of 

 thousands of seedlings must be cultivated, and 

 their juice tested, before this improvement can 

 be reached. Even then, it may have no signif- 

 icance for practical purposes. Next to the 

 amount of sugar comes the resistance to the 

 disease called " Sereh," and the new race 

 requires to be ameliorated in this important di- 

 rection, too. Other qualities must also be con- 

 sidered, and any casual deterioration in 

 other characters would make all progress 

 illusory. For these reasons much time is re- 

 quired to attain distinct improvements. 



These great difficulties in the way of selecting 

 extremes for vegetative propagation are of 

 course met with everywhere. They impede the 

 work of the breeder to such a degree, that but 

 few men are able to surmount them. Breeding 

 new varieties necessitates the bending of every 

 effort to this purpose, and a clear conception of 



