262 Transactions.— Botany. 
unstripped cane to the acre, equal to 17 tons of stripped cane ready for 
crushing. On two tons of this I experimented, as I shall afterwards de- 
scribe. 
Mr. William Johns, writing on 28th March, 1882, reports to me as 
follows regarding the growth of Early Amber Sorghum at Te Rahu, 
near Te Awamutu :—“ On the 25th of October, 1881, I planted out the 
greater portion of a packet of seed of the above received from you through 
Mr. Lavers. 
“ It was planted on fair land, manured with bone-flour at the rate of 
about 5 cwt. per acre. The seed grew well until the plants were some 8 
inches high, when unfortunately, on account probably of its being planted 
alongside a plat of maize, which shared its fate, nearly every plant was 
pulled up by the pheasants. 
* Having fortunately a little seed left (about 1 oz.), I replanted a por- 
tion of the ground on the 15th November, sowing—as before—the seed about 
2 inches deep, about 3 feet apart in the rows aud about the same distance 
between each hill, 5 or 6 seeds to each hill. This seed grew very rapidly 
undisturbed by the pheasants ; the time at which it was planted being, in 
my opinion, more suitable than earlier in the season. 
** By the latter end of January the canes began to form and on the 20th 
of February the first flower-top appeared, being considerably later than 
what I expected; but the ground having a slight southerly aspect may 
account for this. By the end of February the flowers had become well 
developed, the canes at this time being 8 to 9 feet high. At the present 
time (28th March) the seeds are well ripened, the amount of seed which I 
estimate to save being about half a bushel (20 to 30 Ibs.), portions of which 
I intend to distribute among my neighbours, so that its growth here in 
Waikato may be well tested. 
* Judging by the growth of the small plat I have, I estimate 
the weight of cane that could be grown on an acre at from 15 to 90 
tons at the least, from whieh I should say about a ton of seed could be 
obtained. 
** Not wishing to interfere with the growth of the seed, I did not cut any 
of the canes for the purpose of expressing the juice, save a few only by way 
of experiment, from which I am led to believe—first, that the very large and 
the very small canes yield comparatively poor saccharine juice ; and second, 
that medium-sized canes, of say three-quarters of an inch in diameter at 
their lowest joint, are far the richest in that respect; as a rule those ex- 
ceeding an inch and those under two-thirds of an inch respectively at their 
lower joints, do not equal those that vary within those two measures in 
richness of juice. 
