VARIETIES OF THE CANE. 



instance of bud variation is due to J. F. Home 23 who, in describing canes 

 imported into Mauritius, writes : " On examining the plants of this cane at 

 Mon Piaisir, a plant was noticed giving green, instead of striped, canes. On 

 further examination two other plants were found, one of which, while 

 producing striped canes from one eye, produced green canes from another eye, 

 both of which eyes belonged to the same piece of cane, while the second plant 

 produced both striped and green canes from one and the same eye." 



A very similar observation was made by Melmoth Hall 24 a little later, 

 who writes : "I have in one instance seen no less than three distinct canes 

 springing from one stool of the ribbon variety, one entirely yellow, one 

 entirely green, the other being the usual ribbon cane ; while from other stools 

 in the same field I found canes either of a uniform green, purple or purplish 

 brown ; all the rest spring from the same ribbon cane root, being striped in 

 the usual way." 



A manuscript communication to the writer from M. Auguste Villele, of 

 Mauritius, ascribes the origin of the Louzier cane of that island to a sport 

 from a striped cane known as Mignonne, imported from New Caledonia ; this 

 sport was observed by a M. Louzier. In the early nineties the Striped Tanna 

 canes were brought to Mauritius, and these were observed frequently to throw 

 sports, whence have come the White and Black Tanna canes. Other instances 

 are recorded in the West Indies where the Red Ribbon (cp. supra under 

 Cheribon canes) is known to give self-coloured canes identical with the Burke, 

 and J. F. Clark, 25 of Queensland, has recorded that the Striped Singapore 

 cane there throws sports which are apparently identical with the Rappoe. 

 The Red Ribbon and Striped Singapore canes are synonomous, as are also the 

 Burke and Rappoe varieties. 



It has been shown above that the White and Black Cheribon canes have 

 been and are extensively cultivated, and there seems no reason to doubt that 

 they originated as sports from a ribbon cane ; in no other way is it possible to 

 account for the terms White, Black, and Striped Cheribon; Transparent, 

 White and Purple Transparent ; Striped Bamboo, Rose Bamboo, and Purple 

 Bamboo ; and it must have been with full knowledge of their origin that these 

 names were given. 



Assuming the identity of the Louzier with the Otaheite and Lahaiu 

 canes, and remembering the origin of the former, it is also probable that the 

 latter originated in the same way, but having been introduced at early dates 

 as self-coloured canes no suspicion of their origin arose. This cane also is 

 known to throw a striped sport indistinguishable from the Mignonne from 

 which the Louzier arose, and this cane when planted separately throws self- 

 coloured sports, so that here a complete cycle through striped cane, self-coloured 

 cane, striped cane exists, though it is impossible to state which was the 

 original type ; perhaps the explanation of the phenomenon is to be found in 

 a cross-fertilization of the original cane. 



37 



