The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-06-01
PAPAYA CULTIVATION :

To the casual observer, the papaya
fruit seems to come forth of unassisted
nature in the Hawaiian Islands, only
needing to have the seed planted al
most anywhere for producing a tree
that will bear the luscious fruit in a few
months. But when one essays to
propagate the papaya tree without pre-
vious knowledge, it is only to encounter
difficulty and disappointment. Apart
from various exacting requirements in
tending and pruning, the tree is pos
sessed of vagaries in reproduction from
the seed which must be learned before
success in its cultivation can be OBJ
tanned. The following information is
furnished with a view to aiding the
Hawaiian horticulturist in mastering
papaya cultivation. 1t is compiled from
| The Story of the Papaw" Gas the name
| of the plant in one of it's popular forms
is there given), a paper by F. B. Kill
mer, reproduced from the American
Journal of Pharmacy in the August,
! 1903, number of the Bulletin of the De-
| partment of Agriculture, Jamaica. Par
ticular attention is called to the facts
| relating to sex in the plant, for it is
| the p6culldTlIy III InlS respect Mh'Cu
| has caused the chief trouble here.
| OF the several edible species men
| toned in the article here drawn from,
| the Carica Papaya has the main at
| tention. 1t is the species cultivated in
Hawaii.
There are varying descriptions of the
character of the plant, as it is modified
by locality and cultivation. Among the
notable varieties of the Garcia Papaya
are the green and so-caIled violet"
The violet is the one most highly es-
teemed for cultivation, but does not
attain great height. The fruit is large,
often weighing as much as twenty
pounds. and when ripe is very sweet.
While young the trees are kept shady
and pruned to prevent their growing
tall. To encourage fruit. portions of
the flowers are picked off; the smaller
fruits are removed when green, so that
the remainder will grow larger and
stronger. The green Carica grows to
greater height than the purple; its
fruits are smaller and possess a less
agreeable flavor.
The three forms of flower present in
the papaya are, according to the native
description, classified as varieties. The
so-called female trees bear only fruit
fruit and the greatest numbers. These
flowers are single, with a yellow Cor
purple) cOrOlla with five sessiIe petals,
growing in considerable numbers at the
apex of the stalk, which rapidly pushes
upward and puts out new leaf stems.
The fruit development is so rapid that
buds, flowers, green and ripe fruit are
often seen at the same time. The male
flowers are borne on hanging stems,
ranging from six inches to one foot or
more in length. and may be white.
bright yellow, sometimes tinged with
purple, often developing considerable
fragrance. Though not large. the fruit
or the hanging papaya is very sweet.
1t is quite common" Mr.. Kilmer
says, for numerous papaya plants to
spring up from seeds scattered by the
birds over a portion of land which, ac-
cording to tropical custom. has been
cleared by burning away the trees and
underground. There are no forests of
papayas. because the plants need sun
and room. They are seldom seen
among dense growths. They do not
propagate in clusters. For the most
part they are the product of cuItiva-
ton. and near every hut ara carefully
guarded groups from two to six in num-
ber''
1t must not be inferred from the
foregoing remarks about the papaya
as forest growth that the plant is
not capable of cultivation on a large
scale There i a magnificent orchard
OF papayaS owned by Henry =. Wells
in the Kaimuki tract, Honolulu which
is said to occupy six acres. At present
every tree seems to be thriving and
loaded with fine-looking, large fruit
Withal the trees, planted about ten