The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-04-14

limited to very small tracts, wide plant
1 ing between the rows,-in order to per-
NIT cultivation by horse instead of hand
labor,-is best. While one gets a lesser
number of plants on given area 1T is
much easier to get among them for hoe
| ing, which is limited to the immediate
vicinity of the plant, and for harvesting
the fruit and removing the suckers for
new plantations. Then, there is a bet
ter chance for perfect development, and
the cropping period of the land certainly
will continue longer with 5000 plants per
acre than with three times that number,
as is frequently done by the advocates
| of close planting. 1 have demonstrated
| to my satisfaction that the breaking of
the fruit from the stem is prevented by
| wide planting. / think 1T is caused by
| insufficient nourishment and instead of
close planting preventing it is claimed
| it aggravates me trouble, unless the
plants are so very close together that
the fruit is held in place. and such plant
T.! ing soon leads to deterioration of the
quality of the fruit. You can no more
continue taking three fruits from the
space that one needs, with the pineapple
than you can with the peach. orange, or
other fruits: excessive crowding is al
ways at the expense OF quality If not of
quantity, and generally of both when net
profit is figured. Then too. crowding of
any plant. leading to weakening of the
pests. With the close crowded condition
of many plantations it is difficult to get
among them for applying Insecticides and
the dense crowded mass of plants be-
comes a veritable hot bed for all kinds
of scale and for mealy bugs. if they once
get foothold.
Mr.. Kellogg stated in the discussion
which followed that he believed pine
apples to be a safe and sure invest
10 rlx-1w
over sugar cane in growing on land
lacking water.
Mr.. Games had strong faith in pine
apples Having a wide market they
could, he thought, by canning be made
a vcrr profitable crop.
II isst .FDer of the evening was
one on "Po,ltoes." by T. F. Sedgwick-
Mr.. Sedgwick reviewed the history of
potato culture in the Islands. His adj
dress was made clearer by reference to
a map of the group, showing the pota-
to lands Samples of soil taken from
these places were passed around to the
members. Mr.. Sedgwick made his adj
dress a general one and what he said
in regard to the culture of potatoes
held equally we'll when applied to other
products His experiment on taro was
brought up for discussion. Ordinarily
taro was planted on land that by years
OF planting had ceased to be produc-
tive. With the use of fertilizers and
proper cultivation the increase in pro-
duction and quality was very marked.
The possibility of growing taro with
out water was brought up. 1t was stat
ed that taro was not formerly grown
in water on the Island of Hawaii. If
continued moisture could be supplied
by irrigation and proper cultivation, it
is believed that taro could be grown
without the use of standing water.
After extending a vote of thanks to
the people of Wahiawa for their hospi-
tally, and the singing of America"
the meeting adjourned. The next meet
ing viii probably be held at the United
States Experiment Station some time
in July.