The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-03-07
No BLIGHT Or Fungus Or Insect
Pest Found On Hawaii.
REPORT ON EXPERT VIEW
What Mr.. Marsden and Prof. Koe-
belle Found-Mistakes Have Been
Made In Planting-Successe

Jos. Marsden, Commissioner of Agricul-
ture and Professor Koebele the Hawaiian
Government entomologist, return from
the coffee districts of the Island of Ha-
wall with the glorious report that the
thousands of trees of the big and little
plantations are entirely free from any
blight, fungus or insect pest. During
the concluding months of last year and
in the beginning of this year letters and
specimens concerning blight were fire.
quently received from Hawaii at the office
of the Commissioner of Agriculture. The
heaviest, if not nearly all the complaint
was from the district of Puma. Mr.. Mars
den made microscopical examinations and
efforts at cultures, but found nothing on
leaf or branch. He gave opinion that the
coffee was clean. Professor Koebele, up
on arrival from the United States, con-
firmed the belief of Mr. Marsden and
the trouble was likely due to some fault
in planting.
The two officials of the Agricultural
bureau were accompanied in the travels
on Hawaii by the Sheriff of the Island,
l.. A. Andrews, a gentleman who is heav-
lily interested in the culture of coffee and
has given it attention for several years.
From Hilo the party journeyed over a
fine road to Puma. 1t was noticed on the
plantations from which the alarm had
been sounded that entirely healthy trees
and weaklings were side by side. Moth
ing foreign to coffee growth could be
Marsden and Professor Koebele were now
firmly convinced that the trouble had
been caused by errors in planting. They
gave descriptions of the roots of the drop
ping roots and then had bad trees taken
up. 1t was seen at once that every
failure" of a tree had a tap root that
had been almost entirely eradicated be
fore planting or that had been left too
long and had curled instead of growing
naturally. That such was the case was
made clear to the visitors and to the
planters in every investigation made. A
tree planted without allowing a straight
tap root of about eight inches will grow
finely for a couple of years, but when
called upon to bear, will become i'll, droop,
wither and refuse to show berries. Evi-
dence was piled up to sustain the verdict
reached and there will be but little more
of the paintings that give a deceptive,
useless and non-producIng tree. There
has been plenty of this bad planting in
Olaa. At one plantation of considerable
size it will be necessary to pull up and
replace fully two-thirds of the trees.
There are plantations where the third
where the whole trouble has been the
practical killing of the tree before it has
been placed in the ground. There is
not in Puma or Olaa, or in fact in any
coffee district of the Islands at this time,
any disease. A white fly that does very
little harm was noticed but it is dis
under treatment The spider
about which so much has been said and
which has been feared, was seen. 1t is
an insect that seeks only the weak and
dying trees that in any event would not
produce and that must come up. Closest
examination dissipated completely the
offered theory that a leaf disease had
appeared. Both Mr.. Marsden and Profess
sor Koebele have studied this leaf disease
in Ceylon and elsewhere and demonstrated
that it had not yet reached Hawaii.
The coffee growers are learning rapidly
by experience and are willing to listen
to official advice. Thousands of trees
have been planted improperly in various
districts. But in Olaa now there may be
seen acres upon acres of trees that are
successful and that will bear Well Mr..
Marsden repeats, as he has before, the
assurance that the success of the coffee
business in Olaa and Puma is assured.
The good trees are wonderfully thrifty.
The travellers were very much struck
with the work of the Sisson boys, who
have personally performed nearly all the
labor which has placed their plantation in
such a promising condition.
In Hamakua the Louisson boys were
found to be doing correct planting and
will be rewarded with profitable results
They have fine land and upon advice will
leave the ohia trees on the ridges for
wind breaks and will add to this shelter
by planting the seeds of quick growing
trees, these seeds to be sent by Mr. Mars
den at once. An immense crop will be
taken off at the Horner plantation. One
field or piece of forty-f1ve acres will give
a yield that will surprise all coffee men.
1t is shown in Hamakua that coffee will
not stand continuous wind, but that it
will thrive there under shelter. The soil
is very good.