The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1901-03-29

the pans The volume OF water that the
soil could absorb and contain-that is,
the measure of its absorptive power
was iS.2 per cent of its own weight. In
tub No. . three pieces of sugar cane
We're planted when the experiment was
begun, and nothing in tub No. l, after
which the water given off by each tub
was daily recorded for the following six
months. During the first twenty-six
days the two tubs gave off like volumes
of water. each one evaporating during
that period 14,220 grams, or thirty-one
pounds After the twenty-sixth day tub
No. ., in which the cane was planted,
began to give Off more than tub No l.,
containing soil only.
"The weight of the cane grown in tub
No. by the consumption of 1870 grams
of water was $3.50 grams of water-free
material, consisting of roots. Bis grams {;
stems. $50 grams; leaves. 1872 grams
These figures show that in order to form
one pound of water-free substance the
cane organism transpired 1i7.S pounds Of
water"
SALTS IN SOIL
Mr.. Maxwell discusses at some length
Tho matter of salts I'm Hawaiian soils
and waters. saying: ..
"trhe waters of the Hawaiian Islands
are of excellent quality. provided they
do not come in contact with the sea in
flow or with soils having high contents
of salts. due to the overflow of the sea
az some earlier period. In some local.
ties, however contamination by sea wa
ter has gone so far that the water is
destructive to vegetable life. In most
instances the deleterious agent is COM
mon salt: in others there is a mixture of
are most injurious to plant life, and. in
common salt with bittern salts, or chlor-
id Of magnesium and lime. The latter
lowlands, lying almost level with the
sea, where there are no means of get
ting these salts removed. their impreg-
nation renders the soil useless.
"a considerable portion OF the water
supply for irrigation I'm the Hawaiian
Islands Is derived from the underground
flow. Ground waters as n source of sun
ply for irrigation present more elements
TO he considered than the waters of riv-
ers or surface waters, which latter are
almost invariably suitable for irrigation
uses. Ground waters, on account of the
considerable proportions of certain high
" desirable elements they contain, may
he very valuable for application to crops
On the other hand, because of the large
amount of substances nimical to plant
life held in solution they may he quite
unfit for irrigation Numerous instances
of the unfitness of some waters for plant
b-' arr ulUlSntn bN Olnpr countries, ana
special examples have been found by she
writer upon the Hawaiian Islands.
I'm soils containing over O15 per cent
of salt. unless n liberal allowance of
some vital element, such as nitrogen is
present to force on the growth. the SUI
gar cane is liable to suffer"
RICE AND SUGAR CANE
THE chief crops" writes Mr.. Maxwell,
ha b,, ny1
irrigation in Hawaii are rice and sugar
cane. The lands used for rice are the
lowest flats found at the outlets of val
legs and close on the sea. Irrigation Is
practiced upon all these lands, but no
means Of determining the volume used
per acre have been adopted, and data are
mot at hand bearing on the question.
|! Sugar production Is, relatively speak
ing, recent matter so far as the pres
ent volume of production is concerned.
So late even as 1880 the output is record
ed as being $1,000 tons while the produc-
tion last year GS99) was .2S2, S07 tons The
bart played by artificial irrigation in
the production of the Hawaiian crop is
seen from the following statement: Su-
gar grown by natural rainfall 1889 tons;
sugar grown by irrigation. 16s, 425 tons.
"The area to which water is artificial
iy' applied is yearly increasing, and in
two years more than two-thirds of the
crop, which Is also vastly increasing, win
Ne grown by aid Of irrigation.
, THE richest lands upon the islands are
those lying toward and a little above sea
level. In most of the districts, however
the rainfall over the low-lying lands, and
Especially upon the leeward side, IL ut
terly insufficient to produce the sugar
crop. Until the practice of irrigation was
adopted these lowands were useless but
now they are. beyond comparison, the
richest and most productive"
THE HAWAIIAN STATION.
In presenting a variation of his expert
ments at the Hawaiian station, Mr.. Max
we'll says:
located in the suburbs of Honolulu and
comprises five acres of land. In laying
out the area into divisions and plats
special provisions We're made for the
use of irrigation water. The water sup
ply is that OF the city municipality, and
1t is laid on by iron pipes with very nu-
merous faucet discharges. The distribu-
tion Is made by means of rubber hose,
thus controlling the delivery at any
place or time,
"The topography Of the field is favor
able for irrigation It's surface being rel
atively level
THE soil is exclusively derived from
the decomposition OF hasaltlc lavns.
There Is n depth Of fifteen inches OF TIM
able earth resting upon a porous sub
soil, an undorstratum which II compos-
ed Of chips Of lava stone, scora and
black sand The total mass Of soil II
thus relatively small one acre 20 the
depth of fifteen Inches Weighing 1895, Sa5
pounds Irrigation increased the Yield
Of cane per acre from 27l3l pounds N
lNF-as, 10 l92 40 pounds IN ls9S-99
"Gn the Hawaiian Islands surnr cane
rs lrTgatoi exclusively by means ~
bitches ana burrows In having out q
field tn ho planted In sugar cane the fret
stem Is tn mako survey Of tho area ana |
no determine ils contour Tho notes ~
ihr survey win show tho direction IN
which the ruua burrows shall be- con
5iruCtrd ana also show where the later |
1lH which feed mo burrows should De-
unatri
't'pnr lryrI nr slightly unluatng |
anda thiH preliminary survey is especial .
~ important N requires great skiu iu ,