The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-08-15

&-6U meHt IN HAWAII, mas returned
from his tour of investigation
in the Kula district on Maui. He re-
ports that the corn and potato crop in
the district comprising seven thousand
acres is almost a total failure because
of the ravages of the green fly in corn.
and the black rot on potatoes. Only
the early corn and potatoes which had
obtained a sufficient growth to resist
mature and the department has inau-
gurated a system of experiments from
which it is expected to learn some
means of preventing further future
damage in the Kula district.
Nearly the entire Kula district IS
affected by this blight and insect" said
Mr. Van Dine yesterday. The farm
ers, in that district, principally Jap
anese, Portuguese and Hawaiians. did
not discover the cause of damage to
their growing crops, until great inroads
had been made upon them, and to stop
it now, is impossible. Precautionary
measures are required in cases of this
kind, and as no report was made until
ruined it was too late to do anything
The green fly is attacking the corn
and only the early plants which had
good start and are able TO resist the
attacks of the insect have escaped.
The insect sucks the juice from the
stem and leaves. killing the young
plant There are two natural enemies
to this insect but they do not repro
duce as rapidly as does the green fly,
which reproduces by budding and wing
ed forms These latter are response
BILE for the rapid spread of the blight,
though it can hardly be called a blight
The winged forms fly oyer the fields
and large areas are affected in very
brief space of time. The farmers saw
the work of the insect long before they
discovered the insect itself, and took
the formations upon the corn for new
kind of blight. 1t was only when they
were shown the moving forms, that
they believed that it was the green fly
which had attacked their crops.
'.The damage by the green fly has
about. reached it's limit now, 1 think.
The Department has begun a series of
experiments in corn in the Kula dis
trict for the good of the farmers there.
A plot of ground has been set aside ana
tests viii be made of the soil, of diff
ferent varieties of corn, the effects or
deep blowing, the use OF. fertilizers, and
upon the growth of corn generally. The
piece of ground so taken is one OF the
poorest in the district, and an effort
will be made to discover the best meth
DDS of cultivation and planting suitable
for the district
What are needed more than any
thing else are precautionary measures.
The farmers in that district have plant
ed corn for years and years in the same
soil without the use of fertilizers or
changing of seed. More care should be
taken in planting and cultivating, both
corn and potatoes. An unhealthy
plant is always most easily affected.
what is needed is deeper blowing and
new seed.
THE blight on the potatoes is a fun
gus disease. the same with which Mr.
Sedgwick had been experiIrenting- The
farmers in the district were supplied
with forty-fve new varieties of potato
seed and the first crop has matured
of those planted by Mr.. Sedgwiek for
tests. Though the blight affected near
" all of these potatoes some were less
injured than others. and these varieties
will now be used again.