20 
plants by sowing isolated seed grains, the whole of which the writer 
had the opportunity of seeing. 
I have already mentioned at the outset be the first cut descrip- 
tion of the Sugar-cane seed had issued from the Samarang Station, in 
the shape of the pamphlet of Dr. F. Pandya who was labouring there 
along with Soltwedel as botanist. This work, " Morris charac- 
terises as “a very clear and w aceount of t e whole maer, 
1889, and finished somewhere about aptent of the same E. The 
translation (the MS. was written in German), execution of the drawings, 
and printing were surrounded with eU special difficulties, so that the 
latter was not completed until January 1890. 
So much towards clearing up the question as to priority of discovery. 
I may add, in conclusion, that in Java itself people do not attribute to 
the discovery of the seed that importance for the practical culture of the 
cane which they appear to do in the West Indies and other countries. 
I hope I have met your wishes in this matter, and remain 
Yours fraternally, 
H. WINTER, 
As will be seen, opinions differ as to * whether or not any advantage 
will be gained by the use of the seed.” An excellent account of what 
so far been accomplished in British Guiana is given in the “ Demerara 
A ” for November 1, 1890. This is worth reprinting, if only for 
the emet observations it records on the seminal variation of the 
E 
a 
SEEDLING SUGAR-CANES. 
The s cc propagation of the sugar-cane from seed is as yet in 
its infancy, nevertheless some facts of interest and T RN have been 
discovered which are worth briefly summarising here. псе the time ` 
that the re-discovery, at Dodd's Botanical Station, bitid of the 
seminal fertility of the cane was authenticated, realising its potential 
importance, systematic experimental work has been carried on at our 
Botanie Gardens, as our columns have before disclosed. That the 
very earliest varieties of sugar-cane can reach maturity the first year of 
their growth from seed has been shown as possible under favourable 
circumstances this season at the Botanie Gardens ; though it must be 
admitted that even with these very earliest varieties both the proportion 
of canes in a stool and of plants to а bed of the same variety which 
flower the first year is small. Seed of the variety Karakarawa, which 
is one of the two earliest kinds in the Colony, was sown on 1st October 
last year. Three months later the young plants were taken from the 
seed boxes and pricked o out in baskets, five or six in each basket. Six 
weeks later again they were shifted on singly into larger baskets, which 
were about six inches deep and wide, and in which they remained till 
they were from 1 to 1j feet high, when, on the 19th April last, they 
were planted out in the open ground. At that time each plant consisted 
d a solitary shoot, noue having begun to sprout from the base. few 
eeks later, however, they began to tiller freely and to grow rapidly, 
died by the middle of September a few shoots of the more advanced 
plants were in flower, di completing the cycle of growth. As, when 
they were planted out in the ground in April, the young p plants were 
only in an equivalent stage to that of a cane top put into the ground at 
the same time, the record above given shows that seedling sugar-canes 
of the earlier varieties make rapid and vigorous growth once they get 
