95 
iE punding would .entail no loss, as all juice extracted and canes 
not selected could be used in the [acto tory. These three acres should 
tees ue next year at the rate of twenty tons per acre, or a total ot 
sixty tons. At the end of one year, then, sixty tons of a high grade seed 
would be on hand. This, planting at the rate of four tons to the acre, 
would seed 15 acres and, with the three acres of stubble, would, at the 
end of two years, give 15 acres of pure-bred seed. The 15 acres of 
pt cane would give 300 tons, at the rate of 20 tons per acre, and the 
acres of stubble, at 16 tons per acre, would give 48 tons, a total 
of 348 tons, which is enough to have at the end of the third year, yos 
e 15 acres of stubble, 99 acres of pure-bred seed. 
tikes into account the additional selections that sa: be made each S ear 
and which by three years would at the same rate as above give twenty- 
one additional acres. One hundred and t estes acres would, in round 
plantations plant in one year. By the end of another year, or the 
fifth crop harvested since the selection was begun, there would be 
nothing but improved cane on the place. This would be accomplished, 
too, by using id the additional labour of perhaps four men during the 
grinding seaso 
* Of course ae selections, that is, pea from selections, 
could be going on in small plats all the time. and as these became of 
sufficient value could be transferred to the field in thas same manner as 
the other 
* Feeling thus so thoroughly assured P selection of * high sucrose’ 
canes will give a plant which is also ofa al tig sent? it might be 
well to speculate as to how far this improvement can be carried. Is it 
be stopped at the end of three or four years, or is ve to be continued 
indefinitely ? If for the shorter period how much of an Miperarcunes 
can we expect ? 
* We know that propagation from cuttings Eara ees plants much 
As, for example, all fruit trees are budded, potatoes are grown from the 
eyes of the potato, not from the seed, and in the last few years wh 
tropical cane seeds lave been secured many distinctly different plants 
were, according to Professors Bovell and Harrison, grown from one 
parent seed head. Beet investigators, also, realising this fact, have beeu 
making M aient ts in growing beets from what are practically pice 
f 
instead of from seed as hirat toie, though their work i 
preserve true peste rather than to have any imme té e iot 
the sucrose content. Then, having accepted the fact that cuttings breed 
truer to the parent than seeds, is not the convietion hat 
improvement inherent in the plant can be developed y 
large quantities of a pure stock could be secured more quickly, for T 
have already explained why this cannot be done, but that with an equal 
Rios of Ber a plant true to its parent stock will reach its maxi- 
nm sucrose tent sooner, and breeding only from the best, we are 
miim apt to get the best. We will not have to contend with the diffi- 
culty of variation from our accepted best value. It is, also, doubtless 
true from the same reason e we are more limited in our ultimate 
improvement since we cannot expect mire variations that will be 
f more value than their original parent. e cannot, either, ise 
any of the benefits of crossing that are obtained from s eed-beare 
at there are occasional variations, however, anyone familiar with the 
