189 



As explained, this was because the cane was too small to analyse a part 

 and still have some left for planting. It will be seen then that the 

 canes analysed this year while of pure bred stock from the original rich 

 and poor canes has not the added value that another year's selection 

 might have given. The results, however, should be expected to be very 

 interesting in having a bearing on the question of the stability of an 

 improvement once made. This will of course be one of the most im- 

 portant phases of the subject, for, should any improvement made revert 

 to the original state after one year, the work would be in vain, as 

 enough cane cannot be selected in one year to be of any great value. 



" The first year's work with these plats gave a difference of three- 

 tenths of one per cent, of sucrose between them and of 2 . 1 points in 

 purity. This of itself was a decided improvement, but as the cane was 

 so small I placed no great reliance in the results, thinking that an acci- 

 dental cause might have occasioned it. But during the present year 

 the cane from the seed these plats furnished grew excellently and was 

 well cared for, so we are thus given an excellent means of judging what 

 one year's selection will do under continued propagation." 



Cane from * Single Stalk Selections.' 

 Grown two years without additional selection. 



Kich Cane Seed. 



Poor Cane Seed. 



Date. 



Solids. 



Sucrose. 



Purity. 



Date. 



Solids. 



Sucrose, 



Purity. 



Nov. 3 - 



18-0 



16-0 



88-9 



Nov. 3 - 



17-6 



15-5 



88-1 



Nov. 8 - 



17-7 



15-4 



87-0 



Nov. 8 - 



16-8 



13-5 



80-3 



Nov. 14 - 



17-1 



15-3 



89-5 



Nov. 14 - 



17-5 



14-5 



82-8 



Nov. 19 - 



17-5 



16-3 



93 2 



Nov. 19 - 



17-5 



16-2 



92-6 



Nov. 25 - 



17-6 



16-0 



90-9 



Nov 25 - 



17-9 



15-8 



88-3 



Dec. 6 - 



18-8 



17-0 



90-4 



Dec. 6 - 



17-8 



14-8 



83-1 



Means - 



17-8 



16-0 



89-9 



Means - 



17-5 



15-1 



86-3 



" The average sucrose of six samples from the plat planted with rich 

 cane seed was 16*0 and the purity 89 9. The cane from the poor seed 

 gave a sucrose of 15* 1 and a purity of 86 "3. The samples were taken 

 in the same manner as in the other plats and, as will be noticed, give a 

 more favourable showing than they did for seed selection. I will not 

 extend the figures as I did before, for their magnitude must already be 

 so apparent that further discussion would be useless. 



" A most important point these two plats show is that the higher 

 sucrose from the rich cane seed is not an early forced maturity, The 

 analyses extend up to December 6th, and there is as marked a difference 

 in the latter ones as in the earlier. I cannot but believe then we have 

 proven that under the same conditions for each kind of seed, no differ- 

 ence what these conditions are, a rich cane will produce a better progeny 

 than a poor one. 



" Having established the fact that the sugar-cane can be improved 

 by systematic seed selection it is necessary to inquire how this can be 



