4. Of E. Indian canes, the large red cancs of Assam are very juicy and sweet; their sugar is of fine grain and good colour ; they are, moreover, strong in growth, and much less apt to fall over than the Otaheite, to which they are equal in size, and in quantity and quality of juice. They can be cut in 10 months from being planted. In Lower Bengal (near Calcutta), and in the Straits of Malacca, a large red cane abounds, which bears a close resemblance to the preceding. The fine red cane of Bengal is much used about Calcutta ; sugar made from it by the natives shows a grain of good size, strength, and brilliancy. The black and yellow Nepal canes are large-sized and fully equal in appearance to the Assam. The small-sized canes cultivated in India are very numerous, the most common being the hajlee and pooree. They are very inferior.
5. The Chinese cane possesses the advantage of being so hard and solid as to reaist the white ant and the jackal—two great enemies to E. Indian sugar plantations. It is difficult to crush with the native mill, but bears drought much better than the aorta in general cultivation, producing a pr,dittble crop even to the 3rd year, while the common cane of India must be annually renewed It is extremely hardy and prolific ; during very hot seaaons, it remains uninjured in every respect. By September, it reaches 12 ft. in height, 3 in. in circumference, and with juints 6-8 in. apart. These, cut in October, may be plsnted out during a tolerably severe winter. The variety is well suited to India, though far inferior to the Otaheite, wherever that cane cau be cultivated success fully. It is nutly more than 1-1f in. diam., but is aweet, and makes fair sugar. The Chinese assert that it is better adapted for making sugar-candy than any other cane. This must not be confounderl with the Chinese cane experimented upou in Demerara in 1s54-5, which was Mims saccharotus (see Sorghum-sugar); it gave 3 or 4 crops u year, but its annual aggregate yield fell short of common cane.
6. The " elephant" cane of Cochin China has been stated to reach a height of 11 ft. and diameter of 7 in. in 6 months. It is there only cultivated for chewing, but might succeed better elaewhere. In a good soil, it requires yeara to reach 10 ft. in height ; after 5 or 6 yeara, it may reach 16-32 ft. In Myth°, it is cultivated in humid alluvial soils on a considerable scale. It posaesses a very brittle rind, breaking into small fragments when pasaed through the milla.
7. The Straits Settlements grow eight kinds of sugar-cane, foremost among which is the Salangore. Thia is one of the finest canes known, attaining a weight of 25 lb., a length of over 13 ft., and a diameter of 3 in., under favourable conditions. It " ratoons " better than .any other kind in the Straits, and has been known to yield there 40 plods (or 1334 lb.) of granulated undrained sugar on 1 orlong (14 acre) of ground as 3rd ratoons. As " plant canes," they have
given an average of 65 piculs of granulated augar from each orlorki, or 6500 1h. to the acre, some times increasing to 7200 lb. They grow firm and strong, remaining much more erect Dian the Otaheite; and afford abundance of juice, which ia sweet, easy of clarification, boils well, and produces a very fair sugar of bold and sparkling grain. The Salangore cane has been introducrd into Brazil aud the British and Prem.!! W. Ladies. Planted at 2 yd. by 2 yd., and prop( rly manured, in 5-6 months it forms such a thick igorous growth as to keep down weeds. The clumps yield 25-40 canes, thus producing a weight per acre much in excess of ordinary canes. Aa many as 16 clumps have been cut from 40 sq. yd., giving a nett weight of over 800 lb., or at the rate of more than 80,000 lb. to the acre, while the ordinary canes vary from 20,000 to 60,000 lb.
8. The S. Pacific Islands produce a number of forms of cane which aro strictly local. Cuzent enumerates seven kinds iu the Society Islands. On the flanks of some of the mountains, two other varieties are ma with they are both small. Canes growing in the Pacific Islands are said to yield rnore juice and considerably more eryatallizable sugar than the bulk of those raised in our Colonies ; und the Otaheite [Tahiti] canes cultivated in the W. Indies degenerate in courae of time, and should be renewed by the importation of fresh stock from the Pacific groups, and perhaps New Guinea. The Sandwich Mends are accredited with 35-40 distinct varieties. One of these, grown on 30 acres of good land under irrigation, gave an average yield per acre of 12,000 lb. (6 hhds.) of No. 16 sugar. It is hardy, aud grows freely up to 2000 It. in its native country.
9. H. Presto° recently published an official report, describing the 14 best W. ludian varieties of cane, among 32 surviving kinds of a larger number sent from Mauritius; 18 aeem to he diatinct varieties, deserving of culture, as possessing, in one way or other, superiority over Um few sorts at preaeut in cultivation, and among which the yellow Olaheite takes by far the largest place. Some of the new varieties are peculiar for length of joint, and some for length of joint united with stoutness. One is remarkable for these corubined with very soft tissue. It also bears drought well, and is Prolific. A richer and moister soil will improve all. Purple and purple-striped canes are generally admitted to be preferentially adapted, hy their hardihood, to the poorer drier aoils; but they have a strength of tissue which gives increased trouble in crushing. There are remarkable exceptions, however. There is no lesson to doubt that, with selection and nursing, superior and fixed qualities can be obtained in sug,ar-cane, as freely as tbey have been in beet and other agri cultural crops in Europe and America.