222 
the canes from souring, by carefully waxing and covering the 
exposed parts of the splice. But it would seem to us that the 
character of the offspring would: Her be that of the half on 
which the bud or seed was located. We hope that the results 
obtained in Queensland will be fully reported later 
* Now, as regards hybrid canes in Savaii, We have at least 
one genuine hybrid cane, which originated in Kau, Hawaii, in 
1877-78. The editor of the Planters’ “Monthlh erem writer of rms 
icle—was then engaged in cane planting at Keaiwa, Kau, n 
where the Pahala sugar mill is prey his bad. Ty tiom 
one to two thousand feet above sea level. The Lahaina variety, 
which isa rich, juicy, and prolific cane, while it is unsurpassed 
for lowland cultivation, is not at all adapted to the highlands on 
either of our islands, as it is extremely sensitive to cold, and 
becomes short-jointed ia stunted. It wa ihoretos desirable to 
find a cane which would thrive on the hichlands and yield the 
rich juice of the-Lahaina.. Among the varieties of native canes 
growing in Kau was a favourite one, called by the natives 
4 i nep: (or potato cane), from the close resemblance of its meat 
that of sweet potato. This variety seemed to thrive well at an 
samp of 2000 to 3000 feet, where stalks of it were found 
growing twelve to fifteen feet in length, and of large girth. It was 
cultivated around the huts of the native mountaineers, and was 
one of their favourite foods. 
* It occurred to the writer that if a hybrid could by any eee 
be produced, combining the rich juices of the Lahaina with t 
prolifie growth and aps of the Kouala, it would render cane 
planting more profitable on the elevated. land where he was 
located, and even allow lie cultivation of cane to be extended to 
the rich plateaus -— higher up. With this object in view, a 
> 
young plants a vigorous and healthy start. When these young 
canes were sufficiently advanced to allow it, ee and budding 
in various modes were commenced and carried on for iva 
onths, in the same manner as that practioed with apple and 
other fruit trees in New York State, where the writer spent his 
younger years on a fruit farm and became familiar with the 
process. The grafting was done with a V incision on the topped 
growing stalk, great care being taken to have the graft fit into the 
incision as perfectly as a cabinet maker would insert a piece when 
mending furniture. Not only must it fit in shape exactly, but 
the eye or seed and the root germs of the graft meson retain the 
same place in the stalk as the section had, that was cut out. 
The same care was observed in the budding opera estia s—to have 
the inserted section fit exactly that of the bud and on Pea taken 
out. Some of these graft stalks were left growing in the hills, 
care being taken to oak out all the eyes or seeds below the graft, 
and to destroy all other stalks in each hill. The same precaution 
;was taken in the budding operation. In each eer graft wax and 
bandages were used, as is customary with tree grafting. Some of 
these grafted and budded stalks were planted in pom soil as canes 
are usually planted. 
