Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-04-24
BIG AND SMALL FARMERS.


II Director Jared Smith OIL the Agri
cultural Experiment Station can help
the big farmers in Hawaii to save
money in the cultivation of their
crops, and can show the little farmers
how to destroy the insects that ruin
theirs, then the Director will be en-.
tiled to monument on the top of
Il ntalus.
In regard to the big farmers of the
Territory of Hawaii Director Smith
suggests more careful handling, bet.
ter cultivation, conservation of the
irrigation water, and a more skillful
fertilization of the soils in order to
secure more economic results in the
production of sugar. He also says
that sugar planters are prone to liz.
more these factors and to ascribe all OF
tnoir benefits to cheap labor"
The principal factors in every plan.
tItions expense account are compos.
ed Of labor. taxes. fixed charges such
10 interest on bonds. repairs. material,
r.tights and fertilizers. These will
constitute more than seventy-ive per
cent of the total cost of the production
Of sugar, labor alone being fully fifty
pc" cent. Taking the subject of cul-
tiyation, this Is now being more thor
Oughly done than ever II was. The
land is plowed. cross.plowed and well
narrowed. Then 1t Is cultivated time
and again until the plant cane has be.
come high enough to check the growth
at weeds. Subsequently hand cu!tiva.
ton is practised. The cost and net re-
suits from every field Of cane are care.
fully kept so that comparisons can be
made year by year on the same and
with different fields where. perhaps,
experiments are made with innova.
q, MS. changes and new methods.
II is in fertilization, however that
planters exercise the greatest possible
Judgment. Twenty years ago its need
was being experienced, Samples Of
still from different plantations were
sent to chemists in the States for ana.
lysis. and fertilizers were ordered on
the basis OF their reports. This was not
altogether satisfactory for one planta'
ton has many varieties of soil and a
fertilizer suitable for one locality may
b. positively injurious in another
Again unsatisfactory results We're OBJ
tpined through the advent of agents, OF
fertilizer companies who came to the
!, lands with Just what was needed
IL the shape OF specially prepared fer
I lizers that, as often as not, were
harmful and, more often than not re
suited in simple waste of money
| jNrally the permanent employment OF
capable chemists was found to be com
| E'llsOry and their most important du
ties today consist in the constant test
| ing and re.testing Of soils from every
Plantation field and from several rarts
OF field. Tiiis work has been pro
crossing nearly ten years. The plan
tatiOns now make out their own pres
Criptions for fertilizers and buy on a
guaranteed analysis the test of the
fertilizer being made by the planters
who know that they are getting what
they order and what they believe they
need.
Planters, however, do not claim tC
Lc infallible. What they are now do
iLf is the result of years of experience
backed by the natural desire to secure
the best possible returns for thu
large sums of money which they hav,
Invested in the sugar business. Tha
some benefits have accrued from thei
efforts, and from the greater attention
paid in the last decade to cultivation
Gnd fertilization. is shown by planta
ton returns of the yield OF suga
which have increased from three an,
five tons to the acre up to eight ant
even eleven tons, Still better result
may be possible and at less cost. |
SO planters want to know 1t and the.
viii undoubtedly receive with opel
arms any and all feasible suggestion
that Director Smith can submit t,
them, for making practical tests On
larger scale than is possible at the eS
pcrimental station, The conservation o
the water for irrigation is an exceed
ingly costly process but most wonder
iul progress has been made in this re
slect with results that have, generally