The Hawaiian gazette., 1901-05-07
WILL FOSTER
AGRICULTURE
Jared Smith Talks
of Work to Be
Done.

An interesting talk was had with ia
rod q. Smith, the newly appointed agri-
cultural agent, at his offices In the Capt.
toll building yesterday afternoon by an
Advertiser reporter.
The conversation largely concerned the
future agricultural experiment station OF
this Territory, being at present In em-
bryo.
An appropriation of $1,000 has been
voted 10y the United States Government
for the year of 1901, In which to erect
buildings and carry out such work as
properly belongs to the uses of an ex-
pertinent station.
aside from first Impressions" said
Mr.. smith, there are many erroneous
ideas in circulation concerning an ex-
pertinent station. / was asked the other
day II the school l was going to con-
duct would admit Cinnamon to the
classes. l have been asked If n China
mans crops were going wrong whether
l would look into the matter or If 1t
was necessary to he citizen of the
United States t. secure my services.
There seems to lie a general Impression
also that any one wanting seeds and
blackboard lecture on how to grow them
has only to apply to me to get all the
seeds he wants.
THE uses of this, as of all experiment
stations will he the introduction of new
forage plants fruits and trees likely to
flourish in this climate and the conserv-
ing and Improvement of local growths
with regard to the highest development
of their economic values The scope Is
wide one embracing botany. geology.
entomology and knowledge of many OF
the sister sciences.
1T will take "A good deal of time to
get the first step in the work accom-
plished. l am erecting n house and 9TH
er buildings on our reservation, and
there is, beside, a lovely lot of lantana
that has had full sway over great
deal of the 900 acres allotted This has
to be eliminated before we shall have
any amount of room for actual growing
experiments. | expect to replace the
lantana with some leguminous crop ca
pable of enriching the land on which it
is grown
"Leguminous crops are natural manu-
factors of nitrogen, they being fitted
by the tubercles on their roots to absorb
nitrogen from the air, while the cereals
grasses, sorghum and sugar cane need
nitrogen supplied to them. In all prob
ability the velvet bean will be used or
some legume to keep down the weeds.
the crop being ploughed under next au-
tumn.
1.-THE velvet bean is an exceedingly
valuable forage plant only discovered,
and then accidentally, some ten years
ago. 1t is n native of the tropics and
has occasionally been used as human
food. It's fertilizer value. while large,
is not so great as its feed value. Cattle.
sheep, hogs and poultry are all very
fond of the velvet bean, though horses
do not seem to relish them.
THE seed is readily obtainable from
all seed merchants. In all cases where
seed is easily procurable from the usual
channels, 1t has been the policy OF ex-
pertinent stations not to interfere with
the seed trade. In the case of a new
growth 1t Is, of course. different, and in
certain cases where by expert experi-
mentalizing common growths. as wheat
for example. have been raised to high
state of perfection, seeds have been sold
to neighboring agriculturists at cost
sufficient to pay the cost of the expert
ments. with new fruits or plants, cut
tings and seeds to limited extent would
be distributed from the experiment sta
tion."
While the buildings are being erected
Mr.. Smith will probably take a trip to
the big Island the whole group being
visited later on.
Suggestions will be considered by the
station. complaints of crop failures from
poor soil. poor selection of variety, or
from ravages of insects will be looked
into and results issued from time to
time in printed reports. These reports
are indeed the principal and most val
liable work of the station. Among 9TH
er matters to be taken up, the growth
of tobacco will be looked into; the Sc
lection of varieties of cohee: jute and
hemp should, thinks Mr.. Smith, be sat
isfactorlly grown here and produce fbers
to be used In the manufacture of sugar
bags for the plantations New varieties
linn Mnn iIn.
the local alligator pear will be crossed
to a higher flavor: the failure of figs
to do their best will also be taken UP.
Grapes, again, do not, in the agricul-
tural agents opinion, taste as they
should under the climatic conditions, the
fault lying probably In n bad selection
of variety. Vegetables and fertilizers
will constitute n part of the program
Mr.. Smiths speciality in agricultural
matters is that OF agrostology, or the
study of grass and forage plants. The
reservation on which the practical ex-
periments will be conducted starts on
the waikiki slope OF Punchbowl and
runs up the same side OF the Tantalus
ridge, running from an elevation OF 75
to 1915 feet.
The results of all requests for investi-
cations will be published In the bulletins
to be printed by the station. a COM
plalnt from a Chlnaman would receive
equal attention to one from any other
member OF the community, as It might
lead to the discovery OF some blight or
insect that would DO liable TO infect the
entire crops OF the Islands,
In the various States the experiment
station II invariably connected with the
Agricultural state College, but IN thr
chse Mr., Smith IL the pioneer Of gov
ernmenlnl agricultural experiment In
a.