Current Investigations in Economic Botany. 113 
In this experiment it will at once be noted results were 
obtained which approximate very closely to our preliminary 
theoretical considerations. By choosing canes comparatively rich 
and poor in sucrose, progeny was raised comprising in each case 
poor canes and rich canes, but those of the rich parent plants 
grouped themselves about a mean distinctly higher than that of the 
descendants of the poor parent plants. The means of the two 
series are indicated in the table above by the figures in italics. 
The actual mean sucrose content for the high series was 13*2 per 
cent, and for the low series 11*7 per cent. 
Similar experiments - were conducted by Kobus with other 
varieties of canes, with, on the whole, confirmatory results. 
The following table shows the percentage of sucrose in the 
“high” and “low” plants obtained with plot experiments of seven 
varieties of canes. Careful precautions were taken in these experi¬ 
ments to ensure reliable, comparative results, but as to the nature 
of these space will not allow of entering here:— 
Variety of Cane. 
“ High” Plants, 
Sucrose per cent. 
“ Low ” Plants, 
Sucrose per cent. 
Increase in 
Sucrose, per cent. 
White Manilla .. 
13-50 
12-68 
19-7 
Black Manilla ... 
16-62 
15-70 
27-9 
Puri 
14-74 
10-54 
43-1 
Z-Z-100. 
17-79 
17-54 
8-1 
Chunnee 
13-61 
10-49 
21-5 
Cheribon 
15-63 
13-36 
44-0 
The experimental work on chemical selection has great 
interest if only for the information it has afforded as to the normal 
variation in chemical composition of the juice in plants of one 
variety of sugar cane, and in the individual canes springing from 
one plant. From the more strictly economic point of view the 
method, as shown above appears to afford a means of increasing 
the sucrose contents of a given variety. At any rate the results 
obtained, in whatever parts of the world experiments have been 
made, show that the selected canes rich in sucrose have uniformly 
given rise to progeny of higher sucrose content than the progeny of 
poor canes, As, however, in most other cases of highly cultivated 
