The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-08-03

PACIFIC COMMERCIAL ADV
especially on the islands of Maui and
the production Of the better qualities
Of tobacco, not only the wrapper leaf,
but the filler and other sorts as well.
ITO produce the higher grades of
tobacco requires a soil which is very
light in texture and that has good
deal Of fine sand and silt in it. a
heavy clay soil, like that of a good
many of the sugar plantations in Ha-
wall, is probably not at all suited
for the production of tobacco of the
better grades, but I should say, leav-
ing out other things, and neglecting
the matter of climate. winds, rain
fall, etc, that the MIDDLE forest belt
Of the Hamakua district and a good
many soils of the Waimea district on
Hawaii, and quite a stretch around
Mana, where the soil is beautiful and
rich, will grow good tobacco. Then
there are the Waikola lands on Ha-
wall, and I believe the lower Kula
belt on Maui below twenty-five hum
dred feet elevation and a stretch back
of Kihei are suitable for the cultiva-
ton of tobacco. OF course I am only
speaking from my own observations
al
in Kauai and on Molokai which are
fitted for the same purpose. The soils
here on Oahu I believe are all too
heavy. 1 haven't seen any tobacco
soil on this island and I haven't been
on Kauai yet.
HAMAKUA EXPERIMENT.
"Mr Frank E. Confer of the Exper-
iment station made a trip to Hawaii
this spring and brought back a good
many samples of soil. He has chosen
a little valley or gully On. the Louis
son place above Honokaa which he
thinks should do to start the work in
the islands. I have already ordered
ly prepared muslin, and we will put
in about an acre in Sumatra tobacco.
The lumber for the frames has also
been ordered and will be sent over the
coming week. Mr.. Confer and I will
go over soon to start the work. Mr..
Confer will remain there in charge of
the experiment.
HOME GROWN TOBACCO.
1--WE intend to send to Washington
by the next steamer about fifty pounds
of tobacco which was grown at the
experiment station. Most of it is Su-
matra tobacco and we have one sam
pie of native tobacco. The plants were
not grown on very good soil, but did
very well. The native tobacco is not |
good, it is too strong, and was left |
without care, growing wild.
''The shelter for the tobacco is |
stretched over a frame work which is |
nine feet high. This leaves plenty of |
room to work under. Then the posts |
are placed twenty-four and twenty |
feet apart, so a pillow can be used for /
if necessary. In places
where tobacco is grown upon an ex-
tensive scale machinery and horse Ia
Dor is used wherever possible. We
will only put an acre under shelter.
NO PRIVATE TESTS.
'"The seed to be used in our expert
ment 1 brought direct from Sumatra a
year ago. 1t is of RAM tobacco. We
also have seed plants of our own which
we got from the plants grown on the
station. L also intend to try some of
the Cuban tobaccos but we will not
put them under shelter. The seeds
we have are not for free distribution
though I have Sumatra seeds which
am ready to give out. 1 should think
Ii would be better though to let the
Department first. make the test, then |
If it is successful others can try it. 1t
will be rather expensive to start with
and as one crop will decide whether
It is practical or not there will be no
harm in waiting. 1t only takes four
months for one crop to mature any
way. Seedlings are not set out until
after six weeks and then four months
after that the tobacco crop natures.
Then the stems may be cut, and rat
oons will spring up, but this new
rop is not as large, nor is the tobac-
o of as good quality as the first crop.
IF we have good luck we ought to .
ret three crops a year, and L am :
uite sure it will be a success. We ,
ught to get three crops of tobacco
Without renewal of the cloth, and :
he framework should last for years. :
o you see that the largest outlay is Q
t the beginning. r
"A considerable amount of capital h
; required to grow tobacco but it is
n extremely profitable crop in suit o
BILE localities and on the right soil a
n examination OF the soil is the first t
equisite and no tobacco should be d
lanted until the quality of this is as c.
There is lots of land in b
lie islands that is suitable for the fl
of tobacco-there is a big p
reich in lower Kula on Maui. o
Tobacco also requires a moist at n
osphere. The shelter conserves the | Il
oisture that falls. No one should p
art the cultivation of tobacco until V
2 knows that the soil is in proper
lape and in a good state of cultiva- p
on. Much of it probably needs some o
,rt of tobacco fertilizer. o.