12 
flowering shoot. Mr. Clarke did the same with the arrow of the purple ` 
transparent cane, but did not seg in getting the seedlings to flourish, 
and my wife’s father many years ago succeeded in getting the arrows to 
ane young canes, but not in penare them. Knowing these 
es, Mr. Bovell and myself considered that a favourable opportunity 
of. examining into this — offered itself during the cultivation of 
the varieties of canes which we have here. ‘These canes were planted 
in rows of four broad by 25 feet deep, and so as to have two sets of each 
kind, in all 36 plots of 18 varieties, planted side by side. "The plots 
were noticeable this year for the number of arrows sent up by some of 
the varieties. We gave strict orders to the magne ae in 
weeding and watching the adjacent land to report to us any grasses 
springing up upon them in any way Меша. a vam usual weeds. 
Towards the end of January they reported to us that a Sault tufts of 
grass different to the usual kinds were — their appeara We 
found these to be growing in a rather narrow belt of the field « on one 
side of the plots and ir alittle below it, following the direction of the 
prevailing wind. ey were found not only on the surface of the field, 
= < of 18 inches. Some 80 or 90 plants sprang up at intervals after- 
e found a good deal ы се in keeping them alive, as the 
with certainty, but there appears to be amongst ares several different 
kinds, probably five or six at the least. If you think it worth while, 
January or February next, when they will be sufficiently far advanced 
to show their characteristics. The way in which they first grow is quite 
_ sufficient to account for them not being often noticed upon the fields. 
The weather here during January last was particularly favourable for 
their growth, and the fact of different varieties being grown side by side 
is, of course, much more favourable for the production of seed than the 
owth of one variety on have never heard of the Bourbon cane 
producing here fertile arrows; in all the alleged meres of fertility the 
arrows were either those of the purple or white nsparent va arieties 
which, as you are aware, are сый to variation. We: shall again attempt 
this year to obtain the same results. I am anxious to have the benefit 
of your opinion upon this year’s Pme as of course, if we can establish 
the fact of the cane occasionally, and, under certain favourable con- 
ditions, producing fertile seed, it will open an important field of 
investigation. 
J. B. HARRISON. 
The interesting discovery of Messrs. Harrison and Bovell gave dis- 
tinction to the important work in the scientific investigation of the 
conditions of culture of the sugar- re сеи аг as 1 know alone in 
the Empire these gentlemen had for some = carried on at Dodd’s 
Reformatory, Barbados. Attention had already been drawn to the ` 
= da and capability " with which this Wo had been prosecuted, in 
* Kew Bulletin " for June 1887 (p. 9). 
