The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1899-11-21
PLANTERS MEET
Continued from Page ~

must be decided according to circum-
stances. For example. | observed on
Faia and Hamakuapoko M many as
100 sticks to a 30-foot row. whine on
Maxwell we may plant as many as lao
eyes, or as few as thirty eyes in 30
foot row. yet our final outcome will be
about seventy-five to eighty-fve sticks.
and these give us as many tons Of ST.
gar per acre as the 100 sticks on Paia.
Ii Ia therefore In the nature of the soil
OF the one place to send out a great
many shoots of smaller size. and the
other place to grow given average
number of a larger kind, assuming that
both places yield a given amour: OF
sugar per acre. This subject has been
again and again brought up for discus
sion. Years ago we planted far fewer
eyes to given area and gradually
hearing and seeing enormous quantities
on some favored field of our neighbor,
we have added more and more eyes In
our planting, until no doubt 1t has
been very much Overdone. We are
liable to recede, however, too far in the
opposite direction. II we could always
choose the right seed. and have all the
other conditions just as they should be.
then think, one-third of the eyes we
now plant would do our work az eff
fectively. Another point frequently ar
gued over ia. shall we use seed of one
eye, or three or four, or the whole stick
uncut? There can be proof brought
forward in favor of each of these meth
DDS, yet this question, like the forego-
ing, Is q very relative one indeed.
Three to four eyes seem to be mean
between extremes SO as to suit differ
ent soils where perhaps in special To-
calities short seed OF one eye, or an
uncut cane would serve equally well, or
perhaps better. In Dr. Sallard's work
on cane, he quotes Stubb's experiments
on this point. page sos. where in TWEEN
ty samples, the uncut cane yielded
higher tonnage than the cut cane. i
had an illustration of this on five acres,
which planted some time ago. The
uncut cane at first was very irregular,
but by eight or ten months II hal gone
ahead Of the cut seed. There is no
proof whatever that the eyes on the
upper portion draw the nOurishment
from the eyes on the center or lower
end Of the stick. II Is more rational to
believe that each joint Is complete
within itself and the middle or lower
end eyes being much older die earlier.
or II alive, sprOut slower than the top
joint eyes. Cutting the seed. however.
Is correct, and on an average gives a
chance that all the slower eyes are not
altogether. Hence II there Is any miss
ing the field is more uniform and the
missing parts not all together.
IRRIGATION.
No operation connected with growing
cane Ia 30 surrounded with antiQlat
notions on the one hand and prejudices
on the other. The fact seems self-evi-
dent that some soils receive and re-
tain the water easily; others again al
low It to pass through, retaining
scarcely any more than layer of sand
does. Some yellow, clay soils become
sour II irrigated once a month; some
red lands require II every eight or ten
days. and there are all sorts OF cradu-
atiOns between. We hear of such and
such q plantation making 30 many tons
Of sugar per acre; therefore the reas-
oning goes, with similar quantities Of
water. other places should do 80 like
wise. Some Of the main factors on ir-
rigated plantations are depth and kind
Of soil. alluvial or not, temperature and
freedom from high winds, or, in other
words, climate. Our Islands are SO
small that few miles changes our
climate from rain to sunshine. from
still, sultry weather to vigorous north
east winds. Statistics could easily be
compiled showing how many cubic feet
Of water through crop produce so
many tons of sugar on this or that
but the information, at
best, would, in the hands of the un-
skillful, be worse than useless, while
those who know what they are about
do not require such information to
guide them, unless all the other condi- |
lions are equally plain.
As rule, cane requires good deal
of water; the land should not be drier
for q foot down than. say, rs per cent
times forced upon US that cultivated
cane is more dry than a wet land
crop. l think I can easily say, In
many instances. excessive irrigation
has leached instead Of irrigated the
soil. Prejudices In this line die hard,
and where an interest In q subdivision
OF water exists. they will grow Strong-
or rather than weaker. In this respect
share planting has had an evil name
hong ago. On some of the larger places,
such a. Spreckelsville, 1t practically
came to q dead stand-still from this |
moro than from any other cause 1t Ia |
evident therefore that proportion OF
acreage is not always a Just division for |
the amount Of water, but the question |
Is so full Of l0opholes that we go on |
TO other parts of the subject; am
sure. however. that planting on shares |
On irrigated plantations will never be
popular nor give the satisfaction In the |
future which 1t failed years ago to give
In the past.
THRAsHlNG. OR STRIPPING.
Most people In this country strip OF |
the dry lsavess . few see no need of |
this costly and disagreeable Job: It is |
not done In Hamakuap0ko, MAXWELL
nor Paauhau. and II II generally omit |
ted In other sugar-gr0wing countries. |
1t IL but fair to add that on very dry
the reasons for thrashinK |
are few, while on the wet lands there |
ara aUnarAnt1v ROOd raa anna for an an.