CANE SUGAR. 



It is important to note that when a striped cane throws sports two 

 varieties arise, one light -coloured and one dark-coloured, and that almost 

 always each light-coloured and each dark-coloured cane is identical ; thus, almost 

 every light-coloured sport from a striped Tanna cane is a white Tanna, and 

 almost every dark-coloured cane is a black Tanna. 



Sporting from self-coloured canes is a less frequent phenomenon than from 

 striped canes, but evidence exists that some self-coloured canes throw two 

 distinct striped sports. When in Mauritius the writer understood that it was 

 a matter of common knowledge that the Louzier threw two distinct sports, one 

 a cane identical with the Mignonne, and another (described already) called the 

 Home cane after its first observer : both these canes are in Mauritius 

 indifferently known as Louzier rayee. The writer has also observed these 

 sports springing from the Otaheite cane under the name of Bourbon or Lahaina 

 in Demerara and in Hawaii. 



Another instance of a striped cane springing from a self-coloured cane was 

 observed in the Hawaiian Islands by Mr. E. W. Broadbent, who found a green 

 rand yellow ribbon cane springing from the Yellow Caledonia (White Tanna). 

 In this case the sport was quite distinct from the Striped Tanna, the parent of 

 -the White Tanna. 



In Mauritius the Port Mackay (Cavangerie) is known to give a black 

 cane, the Port Mackay Noir, and the Striped Iscambine imported thither 

 from New Caledonia has given rise to several Iscambine canes, one of which is 

 -of merit. 



Finally, in Hawaii, a cane the Striped Tip of uncertain origin, has 

 -afforded the Yellow Tip, also a cane of merit. 



Seedling Canes. Previous to 1885 it was generally believed that 

 the cane was infertile. This belief may perhaps be traced to the statement 

 made by Hughes in 1750, in The Natural History of Barbados ; the contrary 

 statements of the eighteenth century travellers, Rumphius and Bruce, being 

 too vague to be of value. Notwithstanding the fruit of the cane had been 

 -accurately described by Dutrone in 1790, and figured in Porter's treatise 

 (1843). In 1859, Parris, in a letter in the Barbados Advocate, stated that he 

 had observed cane seedlings, a statement again confirmed, by Drumm in the 

 Barbados Agricultural Reporter in 1869, the letter announcing the observation 

 being copied in the Produce Markets' Review. In addition, about this time, 

 seedlings were tried on the large scale in Barbados, but, unfavourable characters 

 being developed, their cultivation was abandoned. At this same time the 

 Baron de Villa Franca in Brazil wrote as if the fertility of the cane was 

 without question, and was a fact of common knowledge. The rediscovery of 

 this very important fact was made independently, and nearly simultaneously, 

 by Soltwedel in Java, in 1888, and by Harrison and Bovell in Barbados, in 

 1889. Since then many valuable varieties have been raised. The pioneer and 

 chief workers in this field have been Went, Wakker, Kobus, Bouricius and 



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