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dung, oil-cake, saltpetre, or other manure that may be used. 

 Where the land is annually renovated by silt, and where such 

 land is utilised for growing an aquatic variety of sugar cane, 

 no special manuring, is needed, or will be of much use. 



606. Seedling canes.- New and hardy varieties of canes 

 are obtained by Dutch planters in Java and elsewhere by a labo- 

 rious and costly process of selection-. The following direc- 

 tions for growing sugar-cane from seed are given by the Dutch 

 firm of Messrs. Erdmann and Sielcken of Samarang, Java : 

 " The capacity of producing fertile seed is not confined 

 to some single varieties of sugar-cane. Every variety ex- 

 amined up to now, could produce germs though some varie- 

 ties yield more and stronger seeds than others. One of the 

 chief difficulties in sowing cane is to cut the ' arrow ' just at 

 the time of its seeds being ripe and not yet blown away by 

 the wind. The criterion is found to be the topmost leaflet 

 of the cane, just under the arrow. As soon as this begins to 

 wither the seed is ripe and the arrow should be cut. The 

 separate small ears are stripped and laid flat in a wooden 

 box, filled with a mixture of sand, clay and well-rotten pen- 

 manure. The ears are not to be covered with earth and the 

 box should be placed in the sun-shine and kept constantly 

 moist by watering it with a common watering pot having a 

 very fine rose in order not to disturb the minute seeds. 



"After 5 to 7 days the seeds will germinate and small 

 plants just like young grass, will come forth. 



"In order to watch the growth of the young germs, it is 

 good to place a mark near every one, which enables one to 

 find them back easily. 



"If after eight days the arrow did not yet germinate, it is 

 a sign that the seed was not fertile, as beyond that time no 

 more germination will take place. As soon as the young 

 plants have reached a height, of 3 to 4 inches they are trans- 

 planted in big flower pots, filled with the same soil-mixture 

 as referred to above, The pots are placed in the full sun- 



