EDIBLE CANNA IN WAIMEA DISTEICT OP HAWAII 
13 
In classifying plants the maturity of the stalks is taken as the 
measure of maturity of the rootstock. This is not always the case 
since often stalk growth is delayed and the rootstock may be old in 
appearance while the stalk is young and growing vigorously. Again, 
the lower leaves of a stalk may shrivel from excessive heat, drought, 
or wind, and thus be classed as Group 2, whereas the apical portion 
of the top is still immature and be classed as Group 3a. Subsequent 
findings, however, show a definite correlation between classification 
and the yields from monthly harvests on 0.1-acre plats and a much 
greater insight into the habit of growth of the plant than would 
have been possible with only general observations and notes. 
RESULTS OF GENEALOGIZATION 
Results of genealogization failed to show any consistent differences 
in the several plats because of the very large variations between the 
individual hills. For this same reason, however, the method was of 
value in selecting individual hills to determine desirable tendencies 
of growth in the hill, as is illustrated in Table 5. 
Table 5. — Comparison in generation of two hills, each 10 months old, of opposite 
tendencies 
Generation 
Number 
of root- 
stocks 
Weight 
of root- 
stocks 
Average 
weight 
per root- 
stock 
Number 
of stalks 
Number 
of spikes 
Hill No. l: 
1 
2 
7 
12 
8 
2 
Pounds 
Pounds 
2 
6 
6 
3 


2 

3 
6 
4 
5 
5. 
2 
Total.. 
31 
13.5 
0.44 
17 
13 
Hill No. 2: 
1 
2. 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
Total.. 
1 
j 
1 
1 
3 
5 
3 
3 
6 
1 
4 
1 
4 
4 
1 
:::::::::: 
20 
20.6 
The hills represent two extremes, one tending to stool rapidly and 
the other slowly. At the end of the third generation, hill No. 1 had 
21 rootstocks in contrast with hill No. 2, which had only 5. As a 
result of the extreme tendencies, hill No. 1 had stunted rootstocks, 
whereas hill No. 2 had exceptionally large rootstocks which were 
proportionally greater in total weight and more desirable for starch 
manufacture. 
The fact that there was a large number of spikes in hill No. 1, a 
small number in hill No. 2, and a similar number of developed stalks 
in both hills, would seem to show that the purpose of the spikes is 
to serve as storage organs. The death of the meristem of many of 
the spikes was at first thought to be the cause of their failure to de- 
velop stalks, but death more probably was the result of their long 
exposure in a dormant state. 
