The Hawaiian gazette., 1902-10-17


iasn,s ~ ihs fssulsf hsid u " sd
thsi H1rn land ~ hsseh Sand which )
~ much 'hf stmf chemical conn sitiai
rfnWf haff ~ sIutfinf tsstls strength
ihttf ~ nothing ln our experience thii
Nuuld t0fiff fhls statement but edmltihr
u % D. ifue u would haYc lniiS " ap
lunufnrD ln che suUress Uf FAILURE ~ thuis
Who hatt other kinds ~ waste land in
which thor would like Co grow slaf
Thvr, BE- ON excellent market Tor ali az
various rfadss and the difference IN ptita
may o. very easily offset 10y economy
in Tho cost ~ production. coral lai Y
where it is covered with a heavy grown
~ kulu IL especially hard to clear whit q
there are large tracts IT land IT different
character which ear bc prepared Tor sish
at trifiug cost
There is no well defined line Of clcvt-
ton, at which 10 fails 10 devotion. Yet [
being dependent upon at least a few dry
months in the year FOR a good quality 4
iibre. fifteen hundred or two Thousand
feet might be considered its limit Tie
iibre grown where II IL continually cod
and moist will most likely be brittle ,r
OF little textile strength.
ON the ssal plantation In the Eva die.
trict. well matured plants can be sen
growing In coral rock without any az.
parent soil. However any rock must Be
suiilclently disintegratcd or porous to a.
low the roots to penetrate to some dep h
into the ground.
The fact that sisal will thrive on So
called waste land naturally gives the i'm
preston that ii requires no care whit
ever, This idea has even found it's way
into print. Requiring no blowing in pr
pairing the field for planting. or irrigation
after ii is planted its care is very little
when lpmnnraI Wit h.,
of other products. Yet from the veiy
beginning the man who would succeed
must exercise intelligent effort.
For instance, calculations are made as
to what ii must cost to put the first crop
on the market stated prices are paid for
land and for clearing and preparing IL
same for plants without any notice IS
to what size the plants should be ana
with the idea that without further effort
after planting, the usual time Qhree
years from the time of planting) shoui
bring full crop of marketable fibre. n,
see how an enterprise based on thes,
principles may fail is obvious.
Inc yield of clean fibre per acre Is
limited to about one ton at most, there
fore, the price of rental to be paid for
land must not be compared with that
paid for sugar, rice or other land of like
character. Should growth of kulu cover
six inches below the surface or the sec
ond growth of sprouts will completely
submerge the young ssal plants before
they start to grow. A cluster of brush
or weeds hanging over the young plants
is positively detrimental to their growth.
One wedding year on the kind of land
mentioned above is necessary df much
rain more weeding) until the sisal is of
size to take possession, which IT will
do in time Young nlaptS Sbnilll no
twelve inches high when planted out into
the field, otherwise an extra wedding be-
fore the first crop, the cost of which
must reduce the profits. The sisal plant
never gets too large to transplant with
safety but such plants are, on account of
their thorny leaves, difficult to handle
and expensive to move long distances
Unless the suckers are needed for plant
ing new fields. they should also be re-
moved as soon as they show themselves
above the surface. On wedding or re-
moving the suckers, care should be exer-
cised or the fibre when milled will show
brown spots from the bruises the long
leaves get from the laborers' hoe. A few
bales of fibre showing these spots will
sometimes prevent whole shipment from
passing as first grade. 1t is said that
weeds can be kept down by pasturing
sisal fields This may be true in the case
Of sheep, but cattle will surely bite on
the leaves when there Is shortage Of
other vegetation.
Young plants should be set in straight
rows II possible and not less than seven
feet apart, with a twenty foot space left
| occasionally for roadways The import
| ance OF these roadways may be imagined
when II is known that as much as twenty
tons of green leaves are sometimes grown
on a single acre. which must be carted
| or railroaded to the mill.
In regard to machinery, 1t is well t.
know that any sisal plantation, however
| small, must have at least one decorticator
together with baling press and sufficient
power to operate them. While this out
lay for cleaning plant is also small when
compared with other island industries. II
is yet quite an obstacle to the small
grower. Less than five hundred acres OF
sisal would hardly justify the cash out
lay required for q decorticating plant
This difficulty, however, may be over
come by cooperation.
Only per cent of the gross weight be-
ing fibre, 1t can readily be seen that ia
transfer the leaves long distances would
be Improbable. We have no knowledge
Of the bagasse or waste matter having
any value, though in some recent press
reports the ashes from the bagasse when
burnt are said to be valuable as a fer
tiliZer.
Since the beginning of 1898 the prices
of sisal fibre have ranged from to q
cents per pound. Growers in the West
Indies have estimated the cost to produce