SUGAR CANE. 217 



The leading countries in cane sugar production in order 

 of production are : — 



Roughly speaking, half the world's production of sugar is 

 from sugar cane, the remaining half from sugar beets. 



Description and Varieties.^ — " Like other grasses the 

 cane plant shows no tap root, but an adventitious root system 

 springs from the nodes or joints of the stem. This stem may 

 take the form of : (1) Underground mother cane (planted) ; or 

 (2) mother-stalk, being a secondary underground prolongation 

 of the mother-cane; or (3) of sub-aerial cane, as harvested 

 for the mill. In the second case the internodes between the 

 joints may be restricted in length and the nodes closely 

 crowded, but in all three cases there is uniformity in the 

 essential features. With each node is associated a stem-bud 

 which on development gives rise to either a sub-aerial cane, or 

 to an underground mother-stalk. Two or more circles of 

 transparent dots representing embryonic roots, and in the 

 case of sub-aerial stems a single large and leaner leaf, the 

 base of which at first clasps the internode above the insertion, 

 receding from the stalk during growth and falling off at 

 maturity. 



" It is to be noted that the joints of the ca.ne mature and 

 cast their leaves in succession from the ground upwards, and 

 that the shedding of the leaf is an indication of the ripeness of 

 the joint from which it had originally sprung. The upper 

 joints or tops of the canes consequently carry green leaves, 

 and are relatively immature until the final stages of the 

 development of the individual stalk is attained. Should 

 ' arrowing ' or flowering occur, further special growth 

 naturally ceases. Non-flowering varieties are. consequently, 

 in general preferred , as in such cases no check in growth is 

 imposed while weather conditions are favourable." 



