The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1897-02-09
HAWAIIAN COTTON
Samples of Staple Grown
in Honolulu.
Compares Favorably With the Best
sea Island" of Southern
United States.


few days ago by Mr. John Tracy. Pen
sacola street. is Of the species which
includes only that grown on the sea
islands on the coast Of South Carolina
and Georgia. and in a small district
around the Town of Jasper, in Northern
Florida. It has been tried without sue
cess in all Of the Gulf States, in Cuba,
China and near the Black Sea, in Rus
STA. While it is an exceptionally hardy
cotton plant. for the proper develop
ment Of its fineness of fiber and length
OF staple, the most favorable soil and
climatic conditions are essential. The
cotton itself is the finest in the world.
II carries an average two-inch staple,
and is as light, delicate and glossy as
silk floss On the Liverpool market all
of it harvested in fine weather will
grade middling fair, the highest for
cotton; and it will bring in the same
mart and elsewhere about twice the
price per pound as is paid by the Jap
anese for the white short-staple cotton
of Texas, which passes Honolulu in the
hold Of every Oriental steamer,
There are many species Of cotton.
and the species have themselves been
divided and sub-divided under many
different names. The tree cotton is
indigenous to most tropical climes, and
has been successfully introduced in all
the Pacific groups. But as a cotton-pro-
ducing plant il is, and must always be
a failure. 1t grows wild in these ISL
ands, in Fiji, Tahiti, Samoa and many
other archipeiagoes. AS a seed produc-
er it is, with cultivation, without equal
But the lint output will not run above
! TO 10, or in a ratio of to with the
sea island species. The short cotton is
the cotton of commerce-and there are
a hundred different kinds of it, all diff
fering in minor points, but in the mair
being the same. In the Southern
States the upland short staple product
is the most common. The effort every
where is to improve the staple withou
reducing the yield. Gibbs silk cotton
Zelfs cluster" and many other sub
divisions of the same species have beer
successfully introduced on the lane
away from the sea. OF all, however
the sea island product stands suprem,
as producer and in fineness. Its ter
ritory is so limited that the demand
for it has always been far in excess o
the supply.
1t comes now in the way of disc0v
cry that this latter species of cotton
will flourish in the Hawaiian Islands
not alone flourish, but will outstrip il
production what it has done on tn
sea islands, where it is most cultivated
A gentleman of Honolulu, who ha
made a life study of the plant, import
ed about a year ago a quantity of Sc;
island cotton seed for experimental pur
poses. The planting of September
1886. is perhaps the most interesting
for the reason that the experiment wa
subjected TO natural conditions only
without the employment OF irrigation
or any unusual amount of cultivation
From prior experiments the wonderful
adaptability of the soil was clearly dem
onsrrated The tendency of the plan
was to shoot rapidly upward, as in tn
case in rich Iowlands of the sea islands
going TO wood" in place of to latera
branches and fruit. To meet this, " he
the plants of the September experiment
reached a height of about two feet, tn
tops were clipped off. The result? A
once limbs started out on every side
Each one was covered with forms
which, in the course of a few days
bloomed out and bolls were formed
The spreading process continued until
at the end of four months, the plant
covered an area of about six feet each
Today the cotton is opening and
being picked. At the same time tn
plants are growing, blooming and pro
ducing. There is nothing in the sol
nor the climate to stay this process. Il
the South frost and cold weather checl
production and harden the stalk, S
that, if it lives, it will not thrive tn
following season. Here the plant vii
live uninterrupted and flourish TO
years. The crop will also be perennial
Harvesting may continue through tn
entire year, as against three month:
at best, in the South. With an equa
continuous production, what must b
the comparative yield here with a ney
er-ending harvest? Certainly not les
than four times as great. The produC
er of sea island cotton in the Sout
considers his business profitable an
his investment a good one. Many me
have made and still are making thei
fortunes out of it. They do it, too, o
a bale to the acre. The smallest cal
culation that can be made from all eS
periments, bases the yield for Hawa
upon at least four bales to the acre
average soil without artificial fertil
cation.
OF course, the texture OF cotton wi
deteriorate if the plant is not renewe
in a certain time The fault with th
Tracy specimen, referred TO above,
that the plant from which it was picl
ed has passed its age of usefulness
and was renewed, originally, from oil
seed. The fiber is long and strong, an
would make the best thread in ii
world; but the fineness. which estal
fishes its commercial value. has bee
sacrificed TO the ravages of time upo