186 



general growth of the cane in the row affected by the varying germi- 

 nating qualities of the diffierent sections of the cane. 



" The method used in selecting the rich and poor canes was somewhat 

 different from that employed the first year. Then as a preliminary 

 part of the work a number of tests were made to determine what 

 section of the cane would represent the whole stalk, and having found 

 this section, it was used for the analysis, But what has rendered this 

 kind of work easier it was also found that from the point of comparing 

 one cane with another any given section could be used, provided this 

 section only was used in all the tests. So, acting on this knowledge, we 

 have used in our selection the butt quarter of the cane, and while this 

 does not give the sucrose content of the cane planted, it gives an accurate 

 comparison of the quality of the canes used. The test of quality is also 

 made solely with the Brix spindle, This is amply sufficient with sugar 

 cane when the cane tested all comes from one plat. I have hundreds 

 of analyses on my books at Calumet, which it would be but an incum- 

 brance to print here, showing without exception, that under such 

 -conditions a high per cent, solids invariably means a correspondingly 

 high sucrose, and, in a vast majority of cases, a higher purity than the 

 lower solids. The average per cent, solids of the richer canes planted 

 was 19*5, and of the poorer 17*2, a difference of 2*3. It was a note- 

 worthy fact that nearly all the richer canes were also the larger ones, 

 and the joints were longer than in the poorer canes. This would have, 

 as the plats were the same length, given a larger number of eyes to 

 the poor canes, and so should have given a larger number of canes, but 

 from some cause it did not. 



Analyses of Canes from Single Stalk Selection. 



Rich Cane Seed. 



Poor Cane Seed. 



Date. 



Solids. 



Sucrose. 



Purity. 



Date. 



Solids. 



Sucrose. 



Purity. 



Oct. 24 





17.0 



14.0 



82.3 



Oct. 24 





16.6 



13.2 



79.5 



Nov. 1 





17.5 



15.2 



86.9 



Nov. 1 





16.1 



12.6 



78.3 



Nov. 5 





17.1 



13.9 



81.3 



Nov. 4 





16.6 



13.9 



83.7 



Nov. 7 





16.4 



13.4 



81.7 



Nov. 7 





16.0 



13.0 



81.2 



Nov. 8 





16.3 



13.2 



81.0 



Nov. 8 





15.7 



12.8 



81.5 



Nov. 11 





16.1 



13.1 



81.4 



Nov. 11 





15.9 



12.6 



79.3 



Nov. 12 





16.6 



14.3 



86.2 



Nov. 12 





16.5 



13.3 



80.6 



Means 





16.7 



13.9 



83.2 



Means 





16.2 



13.1 



80.9 



" In the spring, after the canes had begun to appear in considerable 

 numbers, they were counted in each row, aud this counting was con- 

 tinued weekly till the number of canes either remained practically 

 stationary or began to decrease, and, finally, another count was made in 

 the fall just before grinding. The last mother canes in each plat 

 appeared during the week ending May 15th. The rich canes seem to 

 .have given their progeny a little the better start, as there were 371 

 .mother canes against 350 for the poor canes, and this slight advantage 



