Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1899-12-13
TARO FLOURISHES AGAIN
Pest Has Disappeared And Good Crops
Are NON Assured.
Soil Had Been Impoverished Use Of Fertilizer
In The Patches Is Something New Pro-
,yided by DR.. Ayerdam.

District Magistrate w. Luther Will
elk, in addition to being the best Ha-
waiian interpreter. member of the bar
and regular Solomon in dealing out
even handed justice day by day and in
and out of season to all corners, is the
leading taro farmer and poi manufac-
turer of the land. He has extensive
! fields and factory or foundry in Ka-
lihi and when pau with his duties as a
shining light of the bench, journeys to
the suburb and personally superintends
affairs of the estate.
Judge Wilcox, as remarked in this
paper yesterday, gives the information
that the prospects for good and steady
J crops of the tuber making the chief
| food supply of the natives and favored
by large proportion of the foreigners,
is better than for many years past. The
District Magistrate is one of the first
farmers to recognize the force and
| timeliness of the suggestion of the
agricultural scientists employed by the
government, the planters and private
corporations, that taro lands should
receive fertilizers the same as soil used
for cane. DR.. Averdam, who Is in
charge of the works of the Pacific
|
series of investigations some months
ago at the time DR.. Walter Maxwell
and Prof Albert Koebele were work.
ing upon the discovery that a vege-
table blight or an insect had visited the
taro patches. DIR. Maxwell said at once
that the chief trouble was impoverish-
ment of the soil by constant use, no in
tervals for rest or recuperation having
\ l.A as.... 81
among other points that but for the
,act Of surface water naturally doing
some fertilizing, the earth would have
failed long ago to respond. Prof. Koe-
belle hunted out the noxious insect and
placed an enemy at work, but the
counter irritant" was slow.
DR.. Averdam went at the problem in
dead earnest and in short time had
made up fertilizer which he recon.
mended and which has been used with
such result that, according to Judge
Wilcox in many patches the yield of Ia
no has been doubled. Judge Wilco,
says that he has used the common fer
tilizers of various sorts in connection
with that provided by DR.. Averdan
and that results have been noted a
once. The work Of DR.. Averdam IL
this connection has been of signal ser
vice to the country. At one time, no
many months ago, there were the gray
est fears that permanent injury hat
been done to the taro and that year,
would elapse before a supply would
again be available. Judge Wilcox say
for one thing the farmers general.
mist adopt the plan of exchanging
plants. lie finds that this departure
always shows immediate and salts
factory results.
Poi in large quantities is used at tn
Molokai settlements. at the prisons, in
of a public nature In large quantitie
waiians' Home and other institution
Of apublic nature in large quantitie
and is in demand at hotels and restau
rants. There is never enough of tn
taro flour to supply the orders for hos
. pitfalls and sanitariums abroad. 1t
believed that with the use of fertilizer
and improved methods of cultivation
suggested by men making careful in
designations taro can be produced 1
ample quantities to meet all require
ments.