THE PLANT 17 



or treble the height of the ordinary dwarf kind ; the 

 flowers have been examined by the writer and are identical 

 with those of the typical plant ; but Dr. Perez considers 

 the fruit somewhat larger and better. This sport appears 

 here and there in the plantations without apparent cause, 

 and is called by the natives the " male " banana. Suckers 

 grow up like the parent sport. It is possible that many 

 or all of these tall bananas are from suckers of the original 

 sport, which have been planted inadvertently with the 

 ordinary kind, but there is no explanation of the first 

 appearance. At the suggestion of Dr. Perez the sport 

 may be known as Musa Cavendishii forma Sagotiana,* 

 after Dr. Sagot, his friend and his father's, who wrote so 

 learnedly on the banana many years ago. 



Another sport of a different kind was reported from 

 Grenada by Mr. W. Malins-Smith in the Agricultural 

 News (vol. vi.) : "A few days ago I picked a bunch of 

 4 claret ' bananas which contained two hands of green- 

 coloured fingers and one hand of both claret and green 

 fingers. There was one finger which was half green and 

 half claret. The green fingers ripened yellow. The bunch 

 when ripe presented a very curious appearance." 



Many botanists have supposed that plants that have 

 been propagated for immense periods of time without 

 having recourse to seed have thereby lost the power of 

 producing seed,f and it was important to ascertain if it 

 was so with the banana. 



It would be of considerable interest, and possibly of very 

 great commercial importance, if the cultivated banana 

 could be induced to produce seed like the wild species. 

 Instead of having to wait for the uncertain chance of 

 sports, one of which might possibly occur in a cycle of 



* Characterized by its remarkably tall stem. 



| " It is notorious that many cultivated plants, such as the banana, 

 pineapple, bread-fruit, and others previously mentioned, have their 

 reproductive organs so seriously affected as to be generally quite sterile." 



" Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication," by C. 

 Darwin, vol. ii. p. 268 (1868). 



B 



