The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-02-21

TARO PLANT
The Investiga tions
Now Being
Made.

| The United States Agricultural EX-
pertinent Department is now engaged
in an exhaustive investigation into taro
| and its diseases. The work has been in
! progress for a long time, and it will be
| still many months before it is complet-
ed. Taro forms the principal food sta
| pie of the Hawaiians, and the ravages
of the blight have so curtailed the sup
ply that there has been actual suffer
ing in some places because of the
shortage. At present the experiments
! are being confined to the low-land taro
| and an effort is being made to find
some remedy for the disease that at
tacks the roots. Dry land taro does
not suffer to such great extent
though it will be looked into also.
This study is being made with a view
of ascertaining the best fertilizer for
the plant, as we'll as TO find a cure for
the disease. and the Investigations once
completed will be of untold value to
Hawaii.
In furtherance of this study reports
are being collected from the various
taro planters in the islands with a view
to getting their ideas as to the best
- VI
assistant at the agricultural station, re-
quests that the taro growers on the va
rious islands write to the department
here and explain the methods used by
them. and by comparing notes some
valuable data may be obtained for the
benefit of all the planters.
L. c. Lyman of Hilo, who is largely
interested in taro, has written for the
Agricultural Department brief re-
sumo of the methods in use by the taro
planters of Hawaii and it is given here !
with in part as follows:
AS to our methods of cultivating taro I !
will gladly compare notes with you and |
feel that it will be a great advantage /
to us to do so. Our conditions are QliIe
from yours. The taro we raise
is entirely upland, or dry land as some
times called, in contrast to that grown in
the water. We several methods of
planting: First the Hawaiian way of
using the ''hooli bar or crow bar to /
loosen up the soil, and make a hole in
which the hooli is placed Before plant
ing the hooli we put in a little artificial
fertilizer which have secured from
the Hackfeld works in Honolulu, manu-
factured for taro. After planting we
apply stable manure and cover light
In about three months we give the young
plants "a second dose of either artificial
fertilizer or stable manure, and hill up
4 little. We weed about once a month |
FOR ten or twelve months. or until the
caves begin to die down. which is the {
sign of ripening; then We let the weeds
grow until We are ready to harvest This =
$ done by simply taking all the leaves !
ogether in the bunch and pulling the
whole thing right out OF the ground The
cots and adhering soil are then pulled /
IF, the leaves cut off, leaving a stem
lbout a foot long, and a sharp knife in
erted just at the top of the taro to sever
he 'hooi," or seed for replanting. These
We try to plant again within a week !
rom the time of pulling.
Second method is to plow the land, but
lot deep enough to stir up the subsoil,
hen run burrows just is done for
ane. Then apply fertilizer and plant !
ool!s. covering with stable manure and I
light coating of soil. After plants start :
veil we run the cuitivator through about !
nee a week. Our rows are about four :
eet apart and plants set about one foot :
part in the rows. The second coating :
fertilizer put on described in first !
lethod. After taking off two or three ! :
rops we let land lie fallow for a year
T So Our great difficulty is that the =
oil has been cultiva ted so long to taro
nat even with the use of fertilizers we =
o not get as good crops as we should.
mother difficulty is the tendency of taro
} ripen soon as d dry spell comes =
n, say for month or two. In which :
lse 1t dies down. and unless pulled
1ortly. it Will start to grow up again
; soon as the rains come when the
1lb will rot away. This we hope to OBJ
late in a measure by cultiva ton. keep w
lg loose surface mulch. We will be
lad of any suggestions, or to give any
formation that We may have on the
inject. Thanking you again for your
ndness. I remain.
Yours very truly.
L. c. LYMAN. =,
Spruance. Stanley & Cos celebrated