The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-12-25
SUGAR

Honolulu. November 20. 1901.


| Editor Louisiana Planter:
The hard times said to be prevailing
IN the Territory are not apparent
among the sugar growers. if the show
| ing made at the annual meeting of
the Hawaiian Planters Association to-
| day can be taken as any indication.
| The reports from plantations on all
/ the Islands for the year closing Sep
TENDER 80, shows the sugar crop for
the past year to have been 36O.O3S tons,
an increase over the previous year of
over 10000 tons. This means an in
! crease of nearly $5,O0O,000 in return,
! which the labor troubles affected but
/ little.
The discussions at the meeting, which
( is attended by representatives from
every plantation in the Islands, dealt
| largely with the labor question, but at
this writing no definite action had
been agreed upon 1t is more than
probable, however. that some uniform
scale of wages to be paid Will be agreed
upon at this time The reports of the
managers show a better condition Of
affairs than was hoped for.
The report of the secretary gives the
total number of laborers brought from
Porto Rico during the past year as
2, $50, and also the introduction of 10
negroes from the Southern States, 76
Italians and 165 Portuguese. Reports
were read at the meeting upon the
handling and transportation of cane,
and upon cultivation.
Java purple sugar cane cannot be
grown successfully in Hawaii is the
conclusion arrived at by Director Eek
hardt after long continued experiments
al the experiment station of the Plan
ters' Association. Several rows of the
Java variety are still growing in front
of the directors residence in Makiki,
but upon having attained its growth
this variety will be eliminated from the
experimentation. The cane has an ir-
regular growth in its sections and is
short and hard To grind. Then, too,
this variety appears to attract a fun
gus growth, and is likely to injure
the other species of cane.
An experiment of great Importance
to the sugar industry in Hawaii is soon
TO be tried. This is an attempt at short
ening the period of growth for cane.
At present crops are taken off once in
every eighteen months. while in other
countries the growth is generally OBJ
tanned within year. Naturally this
accomplishes quite a saving, and per-
mits of three crops where the local
planters now get but two A study of
this problem of shortening the time for
maturity Of cane Will be the next work
taken up at the experiment station.
The variety Of cane known as the
1ibboomird, which was brought here
recently from Louisiana, by Mr.. Clark /
who is at present on the staff of the
experimental station. is doing remark |
ably well and is being watched with /
much interest. 1t is of almost the !
same color as the Java purple cane. /
Several varieties of Queensland cane !
are also being experimental with and 7
are doing very we'll Several rows /
planted last August have already at !
tanned height of over three feet
The Mauritius bean vine is also being |
tested as a fertilizer for cane fields /
The vine has been given a good start 4
and 1t is proposed to pillow them into
the ground, where cane is being grown.
The plant contains a large amount of
nitrogen, and its use as fertilizer is
said to be very successful.
Weather conditions for the past week
have been generally favorable In Ha-
vail there has been unusually heavy
rains. and for forty-eight hours last
week, theRe was a fall of forty-eight
inches of rain in Hilo. Though the
banks of the river overlooked and there
was considerable damage to property
the plantations suffered little
KAKA.