The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-01-14

chona, as with aloes. need not be har-
vested at any particular time; the grower
can wait for a remunerative market be-
fore barking the cinchona trees or cut
| ting the aloe leaves
| Inc Following is an example of the
yield of the cinchona tree:
| Three-year-old trees give about one
pound dry bark from ten trees.
| Four-year-old trees give about ono
pound dry bark from seven trees.
five-year-old trees give about one
pound dry bark from four trees
Six-year-old trees give about one pound
dry bark from two trees
Seven-year-old trees give about one
pound dry bark from one tree
Java has the largest area under svs-
tematic cultivation-25O 900 acres-and a
considerable quantity is shipped from the
Central American States In Peru. Bo-
lfvia, Colombia and Ecuador there is a
large area covered with indigenous trees.
but with the exception of the caljsaya
species cutting has been stopped owing
to low prices.
In 1895 there We're four quinine factories
! in the United States, manufacturing
about 100000 pounds; until 1879 the States
had heavy import duty on quinine equal
to 20 per cent, to protect local manufac-
turers, but in that year this duty was
/ abolished though afterwards partly re-
imposed. Among the various species of
the cinchona tree may be mentioned, Of
ficinelis, calisaya, 1edgeriana and succi-
rubra. Probably the last named is best
suited to the Hawaiian Islands. 1t is the
most hardy in its growth, is less jealous
as to soil, and it's bark has of late years
attracted as much attention among
chemists as its rivals.
Cinchona culture may not at the pres
ent moment commend itself as highly
iremunerative one, but it would make an
excellent standby.
The Succirubra tree is highly orna-
mental one, and is frequently seen in
bungalow gardens; it is also planted to
define the boundaries of different fields
on tea and other plantations. An avenue
of succirubra trees cannot be surpassed
from an ornamental point of view: more
so that those who plant it combine the
useful with the ornamental
FIBERS.
Of the numerous tropical cultures that
Suggest themselves as suitable to the
Hawaiian Archipelago that of fiber-pro-
ducing plants stands prominently for
ward. OF all others of this species the
fourcroya gigantia. or green aloe, owing
to the facility with which it is propagat-
ed. the freedom with which il adapts it
self to almost any SOIL and the little care
1
icommends itself to the attention of land
ed proprietors.
For many years planters in different
countries have fought shy of this culture
owing TO the difficulties experienced in
Edecorticating the leaves; still, notwith-
standing this drawback, many growers
in Mauritius have found it profitahie
industry-as much as 100000 worth was
exported in one year; and this manufac-
tured by the primitive graf
4 In using the graf the leaves are passed
half way into the machine and then with
drawn by hand. They are then reversed
and the other half treated in the same
manner. A machine has recently been
invented through which the leaves pass
in one process, thus ensuring one I'M
broken length of fiber Owing to there
being no backward scrape, there is no
loss of fiber. and the machine is capable
of taking any size of leaf-from pineap-
pie to the largest of the aloe plant. The
introduction of this machine is likely Il
stimulate the fiber industry to no incon-
siderable extent.
There are probably thousands of acres
in the Hax alan Islands available fer
aloe cultivation, and were it once made
evident to villagers and others that there
was a demand from American traders
for this product they would speedily cul-
tivate it. AS in the preparation of va
nilla, central factories would be erected.
SO that the small grower, or aloe farm
er, would simply have to plant his aloes,
and. when mature, to cut and carry his
Leaves to the factory, where he would
find a ready sale. Aloes would grow well
on exhausted sugar land, or II planted
between the rows of cocoanut trees.
The foucroya gigantia green 1eaO is to
be recommended, as the fiber is superior,
and it has all the advantages of the
American arizeda (blue leaf without its
,disagreeable acid, which makes the hand
ling of the leaf very much easier for the
workmen employed.