The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-11-17
FERTILIZATION.


hoppers by the million.
FERTILIZATION.
! Mr.. F. Eckart of the Hawaiian
Planters Experiment Station, chair
man of the Committee on Fertilization
read a lengthy report on fertilization
which contained a vast amount OF val
liable data concerning various meth
DDS of treating soils with fertilizer
etc. The main part of his report was
devoted to technical information. In
opening, Mr.. Eckart said:
Gentlemen: The Committee on Fer
tilization for the year 1904 beg to SUD-
nit the following report:
A circular letter, containing ques-
lions on Fertilization, was addressed
to each manager in the islands, with
the object of getting as complete data
as possible on a subject which is prob
ably viewed with more diversity of
opinion than any other pertaining to
the sugar industry of these islands.
Replies were received from thirty
five plantations in all, and they very
thoroughly cover the subject in hand
Conflicting opinions, due to a large ex-
tent to the varied conditions of soil
and climate which characterize the
sugar lands of the Territory, would
not permit of a ready generalization
of results, and it was deemed advisa-
BILE, on that account, to present in this
report the replies in toto. as material
for consideration and discussion at
your annual meeting. r. the near
future a special Bulletin on Fertiliza-
ton will be issued by your Experiment
Station, which will not only embrace
the results of Investigations recently
completed in the labora tories, but also
a consideration of the data contained
in the following pages of this report.
The two reports will therefore, sup
p1ement each other, and it is to be re-
GREETED that, through force of circum-
stances, the Experiment Station Bull
letin could not be issued prior to the
Planters meeting.
If we cannot rotate CHIPS, we must
let exhausted lands. lie idle, pillow them
up and allow the grass to grow and
then turn the cattle in and again pillow
them up and allow the cattle to past
ure and then when plowed for planting
the characteristic aroma of soil with
humus is observed. the bacteria of fer
tility are again active and the soil is
again ready to react beneficially to the
application of high grade chemical fer
tilizers. Cultivation in Hawaii has
been too intense, the Government has
leased its lands to the planter and he
has done his best to get all he could
nj hGfn n ies lcoc @f,-.<a
| and often to the detriment of the soil
He has been obliged to burn off all
humus-making material there was left
after the crop was harvested for fear
of borers and other injurious insects.
On dry plantations no means of green
fertilization seems practical as all the
| available water is used to produce the
crop of cane.
The presence of the leaf hopper has
created a condition of affairs in the
agriculture of cane that to a certain
extent plantation manager is "at
sea-. He suddenly finds much of his
previous experience and knowledge OF
no value, and that the new conditions
are forcing him to change many of
his tactics and ideas. His observa ton
| has led him to lay down certain things
as a rule" or law because certain
| results had always been produced by
certain means or in certain manner.
but now he suddenly finds his so-called
rules or laws all wrong.
We have found that land producing
cane which still responds to high grade
chemical fertilizers. when treated with
the amount formerly applied. is the
first cane to be attacked by the leaf
hopper when it makes its appearance
in the late fall or winter, and it is in
such cane that often the greatest dam
age is done. We think that the stfrnu-