The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-11-24
SUGAR MEN INTERESTED
TUEN. TOOK IN THE EXPERIMENT
STATION.
Director Maxwell Accompanied Them
Eighteen Varieties of Seed Plant
ed Work Mapped Out.

The sugar planters were taken all
through the experiment station and
laboratories maintained by the assoc
citation 10y Walter Maxwell, director
and chief chemist. on Monday after
noon. The planters expressed much
satisfaction with the work being done.
The preparatory work in the eNpe-
rment field is necessary to prepare
the soil for use, to furnish with means
of performing the work of expert
menting. and to protect the field from
outside intrusion. All this has been
duly carried out.
\ system of irrigation has been put
in. whereby the city water is now
available. This work was done by the
Honolulu Iron Works. Alex. Young,
W. j. Lowrie and Joseph Marsden aid
ed the director upon the plans and de
tails of the system.
In preparation of the soil for plant
ing the land was plowed and cross
plowcd to depth of eighteen inches.
and thoroughly exposed to the sun and
air.
The furrowiug was done in the FUR
rows being opened by hand hoes. to =
depth of ten inches. the burrows be-
ing uniformly exactly five feet apart.
just before planting. the thoroughly
pulverized aud oNydized soil on the
ridges was so far pulled into the fur
rows as to leave these eight inches in
depth. the fine soil forming the seed
bed These observations apply only
to the platS that were to be irrigated
at the time of planting and afterWard.
The plats where the cane was to he
grown without irrigation, and de-
pending only on rainfall were not fur
rowcd until the time of planting.
Eighteen varieties of seed were
planted. The seed was cut into
lengths of Q to - inches. All dry cane
was soaked in water for four to twelve
hours before planting. Dry rose bam-
boo cane soaked twelve hours came up
three days sooner than where the seed
was soaked only four hours. The
practice of soaking seed is unsafe if
the seed is to be planted in very dry
soil. The soaked seed starts to grow
but the dry soil draws all the moist
ure out of the seed, and it will die
and rot. unless rain comes.
The irrigation water is applied ev-
cry four days for two weeks after
planting. and afterwards weekly.
\ series of fertilizer experiments is
being conducted to observe the action
of potash, phosphoric acid and nitro
gen. individually, and to note the ac-
ton of these elements in different
combinations.
The chemical analyses in the ferti-
liZer and soil work were made by j. L
Crawley. first assistant chemist, and
{. +. Eckart. second assistant chem
list: and the physical examinations of
soils. and examinations of sugars. by
the director. In the field work the
director was assisted by f. G. Clarke.
field assistant
The work of the coming year in adj
dition to the fertilizer control, will
comprise the further study of soils
and crop conditions on the several Is
lands: the examination of soil sam
pies in the laboratory, as part of the
plan of study marked out at the be-
ginning of this work; the continu-
ance of current experiments, and the
beginning of new ones, in the expert
ment field, of which account has been
given in detail.