16 
But the question still remains, may not Mr. Morris have been the 
first to figure and describe the fruit of the sugar-cane ? The answer 
Society, Dr. Benecke of the Samarang cies крони Station had 
published a на = entitled “ Over Suikerreit uit Zaad їп which 
he not only published in some detail Dr. Soltwedel’s researches, but 
fally described the fruit of the sugar-cane, and gave a series of illustra- 
tions of the seed sche a cane in their different stages of а 
and of the seedlin the various stages of their developme ca 
vouch for the aski accuracy of these drawings. Proba ably Mr. 
hi 
when he described the fruits of the sugar-cane for the first time in 
English, but if he had had one, it would have greatly assisted him in his 
As a matter of fact, no new discovery has been made. Canes were 
successfully grown from seedlings in 1858 by the Honourable J. W. 
Parris of Barbados, and in 1860-61, were raised from the seed itself by ` 
Mr. Е. P. Carter of that island, On account of the very low fertility 
of the seeds, and also of certain objectionable ананна that arise in 
the canes (and which still characterise many of the seedlings raised at 
from seed may not contain as high a per-centage of sugaras those grown 
from the cuttings. 
What has been done in this matter in recent years, is that to the late 
Dr. Soltwedel is rais the credit of being the first (in recent years) to 
grow canes from seeds, but he appears to have ceased from his investi- 
gations as useless Mes he fourtd that the кт were чыт subject 
to disease us the canes grown in the usual way; to the 's Experi- 
ment Station in Barba dos, that of having worked the method of 
suecessfully raising canes from seeds in la num and of sr 
shown the great tendency to variation whic con amongst ean 
first described and figured the fruit of the sugar-cane; and to Mr. Morris 
that of having first grown canes from seeds in England, and of first 
describing and figüring the fruits in English. His work has doubtless 
done much to spread the knowledge of the pa of the cane seed, but 
to allude to him as the discoverer of such fertility is not only grossly 
inaccurate pud unfair to those scientists who have independently of him 
теа out t 
his tatters and writings previously to December 1888 [he] did 
far more to prevent, by discouraging research in е direction, the 
proof of the cane’s seminal fertility than to assist i 
(Signed) IB, RRISON, 
Government Chemist, British Guiana, 
ormerly Island Professor of Chemistry 
and Agricultural Science, Barbados, 
and Natural Science Scholar of 
Christ’s College, Cambridge. 
It is evident that Mr. Harrison thinks that he has been badly used 
by Kew. ар it need be said, was farther from our intention or 
desire. And no doubt, had Mr. Harrison confined himself to private 
