The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-06-20
SUGAR CANE.
comparative Merits OF Our Homo Canes.
The Striped nnd tho PURPLE

The Striped and tho Purple.
O0r red on purple ribbon cane is pro.
nounced 4 native Of Java and was in.
'rpouced anto Louisiana about 1877 or
lo2o. The purple is asserted to be
degenerate variety of tho striped. This
assertion rests upon good testimony
Old planters assert that q plantation
started with striped canes will ulti-
Mately contain only purple. In the
northern confines of the cane sugar dis
trict only purple canes are found.
flelds planted only with striped canes
VIII show i'll few years and some
times the first yenr both purple and
white canes, evidencing u lack of per-
manency in this striped cano--a prop.
erty common to oil striped varieties
The sugar experiment station ut Au-
'dubon park, La, has studied this trans
formation with intense interest and has
found occasionally white stalks with the
purple stripe so family delineatod as to
escape casual observation, and simulta.
neously purple canes with white stripes
almost as family portrayed, and both
mixed with the pure striped canes,
with every proportion Of the two colors.
This evolution of the striped cane gives
two offsprings, the one white with
much more delicate nature; the other
purple, far more hardy. Indeed i'll the
differentiation to suit it's environments
Che striped cane seems to have adopted
the purple color rs one 'fittest to sur
vive."
a few years since the Mexican striped
was imported from Mexico, the Bata-
f,.,y Il Al. u \
Rlbbon from Jamaica They wero found
after cultivation to be identical with
our home Striped. " Tho cultivation
OF the Batavian and Red Ribbon has
however. been continued with every
effort to keep them separate and pure
They arc fine canes, giving largo stalks,
and are very attractive to tho eye, but
transformations similar to those de-
scribed above are already noticeable.
To test the comparative merits of our
home canes experiments were begun III
1890 of selecting and planting each sep
aratoly and have been sinoo continued
Borrowing the results of plast and stub
BILE OF 1890 and 1891 and adding to them
tho results Of 1892 and 1893 tho station
has tabulatcd data which gives the aver
ages OF plant cane for four years, first
years stubble for three years and second
years stubble for one year and the aver
age Of them all. In the final summing
up we find the following in bulletin
No. 90: The striped cane has lar
ger stalk and gives slightly larger
tonnage. with slightly less solids not
sugar and fiber. The purple cane is con-
spicuous for its increased powers of
termination and multiplication, and to
the latter fact may probably be ascribed
the generally smaller stalk In briX and
sucrose there is wonderfully close
agreement, with but slight difference
In glucose-in fact. beyond the repro
ductivo power of purple and tho larger
size of stalk of the striped tho two canes
may be said to be almost identical High
er fiber and solids not sugar attach to
the purple and may to some extent
modify its manipulation in the mill and
vacuum pans. Otherwise tho two canes
are similar.
The gerIninativo or reproductive pow
er of the purple exceeded that of the
striped by 6 per cent. BY actual count
this has frequently risen as high as 90
per cent and sometimes more At har-
vest 6 per cent more purple stalks exist
ed than striped. These facts suggest the
true reason for the final survival of tho
purple in fold where originally both
canes existed With 16 per cent more
reproductive power it will bo but short
timo before it will be master Of O field
Another Tomato Trellis.