13 
The importance of the discovery that it was possible to raise те 
sugar-canes, attracted а good deal of attention in the West Indies, 
Its penus significance was clearly summed up in an article in the 
* Dem rgosy " for April 13, 1889. I extract the following 
passage :— 
“ From what we know of the great improvement that has en place 
in other cultivated plants, through selection in seminal n, the 
generat 
can hardly prove other than important and [armed An 
improved variety on the best we now have may not be obtained, possibly 
fon several years, but we may be confident that if the better kinds do, 
or can be induced to breed, with systematic attempts, carefully con- 
ducted to Баға the operation, and careful trial and selection of the 
progeny agen forms will in time result.” 
The same view was expressed in a letter from Kew to e Colonial 
— rendi 9, 1898, (2 Kew Bulletin, ” 1889, pp. 242, 
* From the point of view of the sugar planter it dei highs if 
established and intelligibly followed up, i is capable of effecting as much 
improvement in the ee and in its yield of sugar, as has been 
effected in the beet. 
Scientific men are never content to accept a fact on mere statement, 
Before the seminal reproduction could be regarded as more than highly 
probable at Kew, it was necessary to see authentic specimens of the 
sionally pro- 
duce barren inflorescences, which bear е bulbils instead of 
seeds, and аз № s. Harrison and Bovell do not profess to be botanists, 
it would have bett. no diseredit to them if ыу had been misled by га 
acircumstance. In fact, Dr. Fressanges of Mauritius, seems to hav 
fallen into this error, to inde from the account given in the “ pote 
of Botany " for October, 1890, pp. 303-305. 
This doubt was, however, dissipated by the receipt from them at Kew 
of portions of the arrow (flowering panicle) of the sugar-canes supposed 
to yield the seedlings. They were carefully studied by the Assistant 
Director, Mr. Morris, and I take the following account of the result 
from a letter —= com edem by him to the * European Mail" for August 
20, of the present year 
* Some Meudon of spikelets were carefully examined, but it was only 
after a lengthened examination that a few seeds were ound . .. Some 
cg 
bes ds niatter had an important botanical — a commercial side, 
Mr. Morris communicated the facts of Messrs. Harrison and Bovell's 
in = стое and ultimately reached the eyes of Mr. ison 
who the meantime, on the recommendation of Kew, had bee 
minted to another post in Demerara. 
