CHAPTER XIX 

 SACCHARUM OFFICINARUM (Sugar Cane) 



Habit, Roots. — Sugar cane is a tall, perennial plant, re- 

 sembling corn and the sorghums in general habit. The root 

 system is fibrous and rather shallow. 



Stems. — The stem is of the usual grass type — divided 

 into a number of joints. The cylindrical, solid culm is 

 8 to 15 feet high, and i to 2 inches in diameter. There are 

 sometimes as many as 60 to 80 nodes. The jointed stem is 

 prolonged into the ground, and the roots arise from the lower- 

 most nodes. This stem arises from the rootstock of the pre- 

 vious year, or, under artificial conditions, from the planted 

 portion of a cane. The buds are found, as usual, in the leaf 

 axils. They are better developed in the lower leaf axils 

 than in the upper. Around the culm, at the bud, are several 

 rows of dots; roots arise from these dots when the cane is 

 planted, or when in any way it is brought into contact 

 with the soil. Sugar cane "suckers" readily. The plant is 

 propagated entirely from stems. The whole stalk may be 

 used or only the lower parts of the stools, the so-called 

 "rattoons." 



Leaves. — There is a single, broad, clasping leaf at each 

 node. 



Inflorescence, Flowers, Fruit. — The inflorescence is a loose 

 panicle, i foot or more in length, with numerous branches. 

 The spikelets are arranged in a racemose fashion on slender 

 branches. They occur in pairs, one of which is pedicellate, 

 the other sessile. There are two glumes at the base of the 

 15 22s 



