A Discovery.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 30 May 1890, Page 3

A Discovery.

Much interest is evinced in scientific circles by a discovery which has just been ninde at l£ew, near London, by Mr D. Mbrrisj the assistant director. Hitherto the sugar cane has been produced irorn cutting or slips ex' clusively. as no one knew that there were such things as see 's in the plant. After a long search Mr Morris has. at last discovered that each cane produces .a number of seeds irom which it ia possible to grow a Tftriefcy of improved vjariety canes, And it., is anticipated that by •cross fertilization and selection of the best seeds, a considerable increase will be made in the yield of sugar in , the tropical plantations. 1 He ingtanjes^he* cost of beet, . which ■when first introduced for sugar grow; ing purposes., yielded only about 6 | per cent, but bow by the noethod of selection of proper seeds, it produces about eighteen or twenty per cent of scharrine juice the seeds of the cane have been discovered in the anide or flowery head of the cane, and the difficulty of finding them has been increased by the simi adtj of the glmns and the havis. It was only by tile aid of a powerful Microscope that the tiny seeds were detected, and; a number of plant" wore exhibited at the last .meeting of of the Linnotjan: Society, with the seeds attached. At Kew Gardens . there are some plants about nine inches high which have been grown fronißeed obtained from cane sent from the Bar.badoes. The discovery it is believed, will tend to drive beet sugar out of the market, — 'Exchange.