The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-10-21


of this land Is beyond the practical
reach OF extensive irrigation, but Is
well adapted to the growth Of fiber
plants, canaigre and other products,
and a small part OF it i excellent
coffee land.
There remain extensive tracts Of
land in various localities which
have hitherto been only grazing
land, and that not OF the best,
while a large amount OF water Il
flowing TO the sea either on or Un-
der the surface OF the ground. In
general, the conditions are the
same here as existed elsewhere be-
fore the inception of every project
for irrigation. There are difficult
ties to be overcome, and 50 there
have been in other. cases, and the
question, as usual, Is, how shall the
land be supplied with water for
irrigation, and Will it pay?
The total annual rainfall on the
whole island is abundant, but its
irregular distribution as to time
and locality causes difficulty in its
use for irrigation.
There are few if any, favorable
sites for large storage reservoirs,
such as would have large capa-
city with comparatively small
dams, and where bottom and sides
would be impervious to water. The
supplies from streams and springs,
where located above any irrigable
land, are, with some exceptions in
KOOlau, already used, at least to
the extent of the minimum daily
flow, or the amount which can be
depended upon at all times. There
Is only a small area of land now
remaining in the artesian belt be-
low the elevations at which wells
flow.
The method of developing
water supply by tunneling and in
tercepting the flow beneath the
surface has been quite successful in
Southern California and elsewhere. f.
The location and plan are gener- f.
ally determined by surface indica-
tions, unless directed by water
witching," or by a more recent /
instrument, so-called. by .
an ingenious Californian. I
With some notable exceptions. .
this island Is not a favorable field .
for this plan of water development .
The abundant rainfall in the Koo-
lau mountains which goes To make .
the remarkably large supply OF
water, seems to de
scend much below the general sur
face. The deep gulches on the lee
ward side of the island from Homo
lulu to kahuku show no trace of it.
1t therefore appears that the extern
sion OF irrigation on Oahu Is mostly
upon pumping the water
from the supply which Is very
and which Is the only
source for the remaining
available land. This method can
be supplemented by the occasional
and irregular surface flow from the
region where this can be
obtained at Il reasona bic cost.
There are several thousand acres OF
and ut a low elevation suitable
or rice upon which water can be
with remunerative results,
Is the lift Will be only a few feet.
There are many thousand acres
If good sugar land for which there
: an ample supply OF water. The
.ost of pumping can readily be
Ound for various localities. Eva
affords an illustration ,
# pumping water for irrigation.
1t pumping station No. > the lift
aries from 10S TO 40 feet. The
expense of pumping at this station
,er acre per crop has been twenty
lOllars in other words. a small
ractiOn of the field, which Is eight
Ons of sugar per acre of plant
ane. will pay the expense OF pump
NO. On land Of equal productive
less n pump expense per acre equal
o or even greater than the price OF
ne ton OF sugar leaves the net re-
ult still very favorable. The limit
t which the lift. and consequently
he pump. expense becomes pro-
ibitive, has apparently not been -
ven proposed. There Is yet a
lrge field for extension of irriga-
ion and cultivation before this
init is reached.
G.. H. KLUEGEL.|