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however, a slow but gradual chpnge in nearly every variety with each 

 year's cultivation, and a few promise hope of ultimate benefit to our 

 industry. But the acclimation of old varieties, with the view of obtain- 

 ing those best suited to our wants, has been entirely superseded by the 

 introduction of seedlings. 



After describing their attempt to obtain seedlings from their own 

 seed, he says : — 



In 1893, just as we were recovering from sore disappointment in our 

 failure to secure either plants from seed or seed from plants, the station 

 received from the Eoyal Agricultural Society ot British Gruiana, twenty- 

 one of the most promising of the new seedlings originating at Barbados. 



The seedlings from cane seed vary very greatly in almost every re- 

 spect, size, colour, sug^r content, habits of growth, etc. Out of 500 

 young seedlings, perhaps only a very limited number will prove, upon 

 investigation, worthy of further propagation. This property of varia- 

 tion common to nearly all plants, is excessively great in sugar cane, and 

 hope was entertained that through this property and by careful selection 

 a cane may ultimately be obtained which will be rich in sugar and at 

 the same time give a large tonnage — the goal of every sugar planter's 

 ambition. For the first time in the history of our cane culture such an 

 opportunity is presented through this property of variation of seedlings! 

 Heretofore any marked change in varieties came from accidental bud 

 variation, which occurred at rare intervals and were often lo^t by virtue 

 of the absence of a trained and intelligent eye to detect and utilise it. 

 By selecting at maturity from a large number of seedlings those plants 

 whose vigour, size, and sugar content, or some other desirable property, 

 weie peculiarly marked, and propagating them, over 5('0 new varieties 

 of cane have thus been introduced. From this large number further 

 selection is being made annually, and those superior to the rest have 

 been generously distributed throughout 'he sugar world in order to test 

 them under varying conditions. should concurrent testimony be ob- 

 tained from many sources, the cane will be named and largely propa- 

 gated. 



The nomenclature of the varieties of cane is execrable. No sooner 

 is a cane received in a country than it is given a local name, either that 

 of the introducer, or the country from which it was directly imported. 

 This is especially true in this 6tate, where we have the Otaheite cane, the 

 Japanese cane, the Palfrey cane, the La Pice cane, etc. The cants intro- 

 duced and thus named are frequently identical with those known in other 

 countries by old and well established names Frequently importers ignore 

 old names and the countries from which th* y come and call them by some 

 descriptive property, more frequently colour, e.g., green, yellow, yello-v?- 

 striped, red ribbon, etc. Several of the consuls in sending canes to the 

 station, mentioned only local names or colour and omitted entirely the 

 history of the c:mes sent. Ever since the reception of this large number 

 of varieties, the station has been making earnest and persistent efforts 

 to establish the identity of many of its varieties with the prominent 

 ones of old sugar countries, as well as seeking the original home of each 

 one, but so far very little success has been attained. It is difficult to- 

 compare canes and eliminate individual differences even when grown 

 on the same soil and under the same conditioDS. It is therefore almost 

 impossible to decide identities in varieties when grown under such dia- 



