Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1903-05-16
SMITHS REPORT ON
EXPERIMENTAL WORK

The annual report OF the Hawaii Ag
ricultural Experiment Station, prepared
by Director Jared G. Smith, was re-
Gently issued by the Y. S. Department
of Agriculture at Washington and
copies of the same have already been
received here. The report covers $3.50
pages and contains a large number of
, illustrations, among which are the fol-
lowing: the Hawaii station; a forest
clearing in South Kona; taro planta-
tons near Honolulu taro recently
planted; part OF sisal plantations reg
| istered Shorthorn COW, Puuwaawaa
ranch; wild cattle, Molokai bananas,
alligator pears; orchard plantation,
station grounds; three-year-old lemon
tree, Puuwaawaa ranch; cotton plants;
! castor-bean tree; new plant house at
Hawaii station; interior view of same.
Included in the report is a history Of
the establishment of the Hawaii Sta
. ton, references to the bulletins pub
lished by the station, experiments with
the taro rot, grazing investigations. po-
tato-blight experiments, coffee, sisal
and olona fibre and the manufacture
Of the same. On the subject of fruits,
Mr.. Smith mentions pineapples figs,
rapayas, guavas. mangoes. alligator
pears, grapes. lines and peanuts OF
| the abandoned Industries which Mr..
Smith states are in need of attention,
are cotton, the castor bean and pia,
the native starch. The remainder of
ha L.,
vestigations. distribution Of seeds, cor
respondenCe, work for other depart
ments, irrigation, collections; The
Farmers Institute Of Hawaii; climate,
rainfall, winds and temperature.
The Director Of the Experiment Sta
ton gives It as his opinion that the
loss in the Territory through the in
sect pests far exceeds the average OF
other districts Of the country. The in
sects OF the Islands constitute one OF
the greatest obstacles in the develop
ment OF Hawaiian agriculture. The
large tracts Of uncultivated land give
the pests opportunity to develop in
numbers sufficient to discourage the
cultivation of plants In the vicinity of
such areas. A more complete cultiva-
ton would help to solve this problem.
Special mention is made OF the Farm
ers' Institute, which Mr.. Smith says
confidently has come to stay. In the
future, II will be n factor In the pro-
motion of the agriculture Of the
Islands.
Touching on coffee, Mr.. Smith says
that there are half million acres of
land in the Islands suitable for coffee
cultivation, this In his opinion being
enough to support 10000 white fam
lilies. He says further: "As II is to-
day. the lot OF white settlers, especial
ly men of small means, is hard because
of their isolation. Freight rates, be-
inter-island and trans-oceanic, have in
the past worked against Hawaii's min
or industries in favor of the dominant
one. With an increase in the white
population, the natural increase in trade
would tend to modify this inequality.
A dozen families scattered here and
there through fifty miles OF country are
sure to encounter great obstacles in the
production and marketing OF crops
which are in themselves of insufficient
volume to support either railroads or
inter-island steamers; but II this same
fifty miles can be thlcSly populated the
conditions OF life cannot help but be
imDrOypd