221 
IS of durability, cleanliness, and sanitation, the Vestry have 
w abandoned the use of soft deal in favour of hard wood, and 
ese accepted a tender for the supply of 850, ood: West Australian 
hard wood blocks at £10 17s, 6d. per 1,000 bloc 
DLXVIIL—GRAFTING SUGAR CANE. 
he following article, which appeared in the Hawaiian 
Planters’ Monthly (March, 1897, p. 101), has been communicated 
by the Editor (Mr. H. M. Whitney), who describes an experiment 
undertaken "by himself about 20" years ago, which is believed to 
e resulted in producing a “hybrid” cane now largely grown 
n the Hawaii Islands. 
The hybrid is understood to have been produced Ur grafting 
buds of the well known rich Laha ina cane on the stems of a 
hardy native cane called the * Kouala.” "The hybrid is said to be 
generally known as “Ko Wini " or * Whitney Cane,” also as the 
* Yellow Bamboo." 
The pat of producing a graft-hybrid in the sugar cane 
has bee ood deal discussed, but few people, without careful 
niin. oni be prepared at once to admit that such a cane has 
actually been produce d. Mr.Whitney's account, which is circum- 
stantial enough in its details, is reprinted in ihe Kew Bulletin, 
but it is hardly necessary to add that this does not involve an 
endorsement of his belief that in this instance a hybrid cane was 
actually produced. 
GRAFTING OF SUGAR CANES. 
“The question of producing hybrid canes by grafting or 
buddi being discussed, as though it had not bee 
conclusively settled already, M actual results ai in Braz il 
and Hawaii. T. correspondent in the Manchester Sugar Cane of 
November last (page 577) quotes an old letter written by the late 
Charles anh PAS to the hybrid canes produced in Brazil 
some forty years ago, in which Mr. Darwin doubted the correctness 
of the facts published. 
* We have now in our possession a copy of the original official 
report of the Agricultural Department of Brazil translated by 
rM. Nathan, of New Orleans, and published in the N. O. 
Pion iiti in 1877. The statements made in this report appear to 
conclusively cp a hybrid was obtained by the process of 
arra or *apposition' of two halves of different varieties— 
the Cayenne and ‘Molle, from which "the St. Julian cane was 
obtaine 
* A late number of the Queensland Sugar vite refers to a 
successful experiment in that Colony by the same process of 
*apposition. ' It is possible that new varieties por be obtained 
in this way, provided that spe care is taken to have the 
surface of the two halves perfectly smooth so as to fit each other 
closely, and care be also taken s yrs the juice and meat of 
