The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-05-18

The seed procured, selection Of soil Is the next
step to be taken. Beets will thrive well on any
soil, but WELD a larger proportion Of saccharine
matter in q moderately rich loan free from de-
composed heterogeneous matter or humus soil
formed by tine disintegratiOn Of lava cannot pos
sibly. from their origin, contain much Of this
matter. 20 that this Is a point IN our favor. The
land must be well piOughed. TO allow the bulb to
attain the maximum size without having 10 waste
its vitality in throwing out '. suckers " or shoots
through the hard ground for sustenance. The
most necessary conditions to be complied with IN
the cultivation of the sugar beet, are as follows
FirSt.-It requires total immunity from the rays
of the sun, and should be planted in shady places.
In 1866, while in Havana, the prOprictors Ut the
- Huanjabacoa " plantation al " Villa Clara"
submitted TO US for analysis two samples OF beet
root one had been grown on the slope OF q bill
in the open field, the other between rows Of coffee
plants. The sample grown in the open field con-
tanned 9.45 per cent. of sugar that shaded by
the coffee plants, 1913 per cent. showing an III
crease of over 8 per cent. and on this and the
neighboring plantations in the Villa Clara dis
trict, beet (c0Hei UerO has since been raised
shaded by other plants with gratifying success.
Experience has thus proved that the saccharlne
Juice Is most abundant in those bulbs most etec-
tuaIIy shaded from the light, and vice versa. As
the root attains perfection, the bright green
leaves offer strong temptation to predatory cattle,
and the grower should guard against their intru-
sion on the plantation, as the value Ut the root Is
impaired by the loss of the leaf.
The second condition TO be complied with in
beet root culture, is the addition to the land ut
stated intervals of a Neutrality-suspicious. fertilizer
a heterogeneous or easily lerlnenting animal ma
nuTe being death to the sugar interest, as It's adj
ditiOn TO the soil increases the proportion of the
tibrOus tissue III the root, which Is the seat OF the
heterogeneous protein matter, while it reduces the
proportion of the sugar. To this cause alone may
be ascribed the low per centage of sugar in the
root as now cultivated in some European coun-
tries until recently, dried blood from slaughter
houses, horn refuse and putTeiying animal matter
being Incorporated with the soil regardless Of
consequences; but the manufacturers are gradu-
ally realizing the true causes of nOn-success, and
fast approaching perfection i'll the art, aided as
they are materially by the achievements of modern
science. There is in close proximity to the King
dom of Hawaii, guano eninently fitted Tor this
purpose entirely inorganic in its composition,
with an absence of those salts that degrade the
juice and render the working of the pulp difficult
and expensive Il manure lasting in it's results
and from it's being SD near at hand is the cheap
est fertilizer obtainable. We refer to that from
Enderbury's Island, in the Phoenix group, which
differs in its composition from any other found
i'm the Pacific. and is without doubt the best fer
tilizer in the world for the sugar beet. We have
10 doubt but that II sufficient quantity OF this
material can be obtained free for experiments in
beet culture on application to the owners, whose
head Offices are IN Honolulu, and if SO, we are
confident that the success OF the experiments Will
more than repay the trouble of making them.
Another condition essential To success iS-the
roots should be gathered immediately ON arriving
at maturity. The sugar in it constantly increases
until the bulb is fully ripe and then rapidly de-
creases, and if the flower stalks and seeds are
allowed to form the root is worthless for manu-
featuring purposes. The most accurate knowledge
and personal attention Of those interested, is thus
rendered necessary or failure will result, as has
frarr,aptlv haan tho caSa harafpEnrp IN other partS
of the world, and in nearly every such instance
the land or climate assigned as the cause of failure
when really the fault rested with those who,
through Ignorance or inability, conducted the
operations.
1t NAV be urged in objection to the proposed
introduction of the sugar beet in the Hawaiian
Kingdom That there are no soils suitable for its
growth that there are no lands bordering on the
sea at the islands but contain large proportions
of alkaline salts, these latter being the greater
obstacles in the way Of successful culture. We
admit that such obstacles do exist, but we pro-
pose by our method to remove them, or rather
the excess of them that now renders the culture
hazardous if not impracticable. Should the ag-
rIcultural lands of Hawaii be too open and there
be lack of shade "a most desirable cOndition) we
propose to make the required shade, and the
method by which these desirable ends may he ac-
complished is to introduce and cultivate simulta-
neously with the beet, the common flax (inum
u-SitGfipimum) or tie New Zealand flax (PhOT-
Mum Ten0r) or both, the latter being most
easily procured, more hardy, is three times as
large as the former and will thrive on any soil.
These plants possess a superior affinity for the
very substances which are the most Objectionable
in the beet and detrimental to its value, viz
potassa, soda and ammonia, ard if planted some
months before the beet each year will extract the
excess of them from the soil as they are rendered
soluble, and allow the beet to assimilate only that
element or elements that tend to increase it's value
rs a source of sugar; while the admirable shade
formed by the tall, dense fax stalks effectually
shields the root from the sun and intense light.
and thus it fills the two most important offices,
/ allowing the beet a luxuriant growth that will,
we are ~sanguine enough to assert, increase the
Weld of sugar from four TO five per cent; make
the culture of the sugar beet Il lasting, successful
and profitable industry SO increasing the pro-
duction of superior sugar that competition may
be dcfed.
We are gratifed to state that the very means
employed to remove the obstacles in the way of a
successful culture of this source of sugar is in
itself a source of vast revenue and would soon
form part of the natural riches of the country.
Vast quantities of the drOss fibre from the Ph0r-
mum Ien0r are exported annually from the New
Zealand ports to Europe where the raw article
commands S250.OO per ton. For rope making,
nothing SURPRISES it, and this branch of industry
recently introduced into New Zealand is attended
with unlocked for success and furnishes employ
ment to many hundreds of the Maoris, gathering
the stalks, preparing the fibre, &c. Its introduce
ton and cultivation in the Hawaiian Kingdom
will furnish suitable employment to the female
population and supply a need that has long been
felt in the nation q trade something akin to the
- Straw Hat" plan advocated some years since
in the columns OF the Friend. Its manipulation
is easily learnt the business is light and profta-
BILE; and the advantage that would accrue from
such a diffusion of labor incalculable. The New
Zealand Acclimatization Society will furnish gra-
tuitously an abundance of seeds of the Phornaiaml
H T., 20 khpSa xaha orrl- Har than, .-I ro-
? the carriage thereon, and the seeds Of the common
fax, HHum uSiiatiPimun, purchased at a cheap
rate in any Russian port-the best varieties being
cultivated in that country. There are many
reasons proving that the introduction of fax MS a
staple (apart from the express object) would
prove profitable in the extreme. lst.-Its fibre
is admirably adapted for rope. 2d.-The seeds
clmmand a high nrice as q source of oil. and the