The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-04-02
ABOUT SUGAR.
Report or Agent Saylor to WASN'T g
ton Some Intere sting Facts.

| ton Some lntere sting Facts.
c. F. Say!or, the special agent of the
United States Department of Agricul-
| ture, has sent In report to the Gov
eminent at Washington, of observa-
lions made by him on the sugar indus
ry of Hawaii during his recent visit
| n Honolulu. Mr.. Saylor says:
In pursuance of my plan OF investi-
| eating the agricultural resources of
he Hawaiian Islands, l recently made
l trip there and you may be interested
n short note touching some OF the
acts relative to the sugar industry.
was somewhat prevented from making
| personal inspection Of a large num-
Der OF the plantations themselves on
| account of the prevalence of the bu-
bonic plague at Honolulu. This iso-
| ated Honolulu from the rest of the
| Islands by quarantine, so l was com
| Jelled to make most of my stay in Ho-
| IOiu,u, this being the headquarters OF
everything that has anything to do
with the Hawaiian Islands. OF course,
L is the main field for gathering fig
Ires and facts concerning sugar. Al.
| he plantations have headquarters
! leIe and all business in the islands is
| directed from here.
| The piague I.se.f Is quite a factor,
affecting the condition Of the sugar in
4us,y Oh aCCoual Oh the Likelihood o.
| hague breaking Que any time on the
| plantations among the Chinese o.
| Japs, which would prevent exporting
! ne sugar or the further probability o.
| .0rts or The United States quarantlning
| .glinst the sugar from certain sections
/ If the islands, or in fact AL sections,
| 4 this trouble should keep up OF
| 5pread. There has been quite a mate
| nal slump in prices of sugar stock In
| places where sugar must necessarily
| 5ympathiZe with this panicky situation.
| 1 noice. however, that the latest news
| ,lys Honolulu has enjoyed periou OF
| en- days without any new cases, at the
same time it mentions the fact that II
| has spread to another is and, at which
place they have had six deaths.
The custom OF rating the production
on the islands is not based on amount
| Jf cane produced to the acre, but on
| The amount of sugar produced to the
acre. Some of these plantations can
| give you some wonderful records in
his respect. / presume there is moth
ing like it in any other pace in the
| world. Take the large sugar pianta-
lion near Honolulu, about 5000 acres
| This plantation produced an average
Of 10 lilo tons of sugar per acre last
year. They had smaller strips OF
ground that went as high as fourteeI
| Of m
IS the average. Quite number OF plan
| -ations or sugar pants do nearly az
well. but not ali Of the present acreage
on the island produce sugar as success
fully as that. I'seems TO be the uni
versal opinion among those best post
ed that the islands will be able to pro
. IduCe, when all her resources have beer
called into action, about 100000 ton!
Of sugar, but about haf Of this canno
be produced any cheaper than that II
ne Uni,ed States on account OF addi
! iona cost of pumping water for lrriga
ting lands on higher attitudes.
| The islands have notswJrked up an!
definite data as to the actual cost o
pumping water for the various alti
tudes, but | was permitted TO see som
figures along that line, which are be
ing prepared for that very purpose, ant
these point very strongly to the fac
that the ability of the island to pro
duce sugar as cheaply as that now ex
ported will be something below TIT
figure of 100000 tons. They produc
about three crops in four years. II
some instances they are able to pro
duce one ration crop, while in other
the rule Is for a single crop. We ar,
not able to give just at this time tn
relative proportion. The best authorit
puts the crop proportion of sugar a
five tons per acre on an average sea
son, taking the plantations as they ru
throughout the islands. II costs abou
S14 per acre per season to fertilize al
acre Of cane.