The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1904-10-18
PUMA CANE
CONDITIONS
Pfotenhauer Files
An Elaborate
Report.
From Saturdays Advertiser,

William Pfotenhauer, receiver OF
Puma Sugar Co., Ltd, has rendered an
elaborate report to the Circuit Court
of the First judicial Circuit, on the
condition OF the plantation. etc. He
visited the plantation on september ..
remaining thereon four and one-half
days, thoroughly inspecting the prem
Uses
The plantation owns In fee simple,
Mr.. Pfotenhauer states, SILL acres Oh
land. Together with leased lands 1t
has 5000 acres of cane land, OF which
about 1000 acres have been cultivated.
The cultivated area consists OF ll2z
acres at Kapoho, rs acres at Kamaile
and 500 acres at Pahoa. OF this Gull
tivated area 1856 acres is fee simple land
and the balance leasehold.
The report goes into details OF the
leases. There are two main divisions
of the plantation known as the Pahoa
and Kapoho divisions, situated respec-
lively is and "a miles from Hilo on the
line of the Hilo Railroad Co., with a
subdivision known as the Kamaile
division about four miles from the
Headquarters of the Kapoho division
The main divisions are connected by
the standard gauge railway of the Hllo
Railroad Co. and the plantation rail-
road is of standard gauge, the roadbed
well ballasted and the 40-lb. rails In
excellent condition.
The plantation is equipped with Ia
'borers' quarters to accommodate 5oo
men, stable room for 100 head of stock,
a managers house, seven houses Tor
employees with families, stock and Of
flee buildings, blacksmith and carpen-
ter shops, 13l head of good California
mules, IL horses, 8 donkeys, 8 mich
COWS, % cattle in herd and calves,
200 cane cars, one Bottom Porter loco
motive. 947 miles railroad, about 3
miles of portable track, 2 donkey en-
.gines, one steam pump together with
tools and implements, wagons, carts,
harness, saddles, materials and fire.
wood.
The amount expended by the COM
pany on real estate, as shown by its
report for 1908, is $752,623.52 The re-
.ceiver found the equipment above
mentioned in good condition and ready
for immediate use. He caused 1s2 cane
cars which had been hauled to the mill
yard of the Olaa Plantation Co., Ltd,
to be brought to the headquarters of
the Kapoho division, likewise collect
ed and housed the tools and imple-
ments about the plantation.
Mr.. Pfotenhauer reports in detail on
the fields under cultivation. Many of
them need stripping or cultivating.
Given such attention as they need the
fields will yield from II to 40 tons of
cane per acre. most of the figures rang
ing from 25 to 50 tons per acre.
A summary of the acreage noted Is
as follows:
Total crop 1905. Plant cane, 1866;
long rattoons, 5S661; short rattoons,
357.3O; total, 1O72.27 acres.
Total crop 1906. Plant cane, 172.S5;
long rattoons, 20; total. 1925 acres.
after such investigation and further
inquiry into local conditions" Mr.. Pfo-
tenhauer says, the receiver decided to
eXpend the limited amount of money
him by the court in caring for
the fields of cane above mentioned.
The receiver was guided in reaching his
conclusions by the limitations of the
courts order as to the preservation and
not development of the plantation; the
conditions of the fields; the fact that
Puma is strictly a season plantation,
the cane tasseling in November, and
how the funds available could be spent
with the greatest benefit to the cane
in it's various stages of growth. The
receiver deemed the expenditure of
funds on the l92.S5 acres of the 1906
crop justifiable in order to supply seed
q iva l,n Of 10
plantation, without which cane the
proposition as a whole might prove less
Statements are made regarding many
fields which woulG have constituted
the 1906 crop, but which are lying neg
lected or abandoned The total area
of such is S22.Si acres. Something over
100 acers of land cleared but never cul-
tivated is described. Three areas
to 1900 acres are described
as available for development, one of
which 1850 acres) can be cleared for
S25 an acre, and TWO Ctotal 1900 acres)
for $50 an acre. Seven or eight miles
of railroad extension at cost of Sl2,-
600 "A mile would be required for de-
Neloplug these lands
A site was selected for n mill by the
its intention having always
been to have its own min. The site Is
on the south side Of Green Lake HilL
about ~. miles from Kapoho or Puma
station, and the plantation railroad can
be extended 90 il for $500, II II con-
Yenient location tor the handling OF
cane. as the grade grayitates 10 the
site. Water could be easily obtained
from Green Lake, body Of about a mill
lion gallons of wafer supplied By prren-
Mai springs. The water h fresh win
absolutely no uare of sail, ana 80 re-
ported by IN Maxwell chemist The
site DO On land lrlsri from The Lyman
isrlgtr Niih the privilege 10 lessee "
huylng fNsuiy acres foi mil rlie. 90
500 an acre.
Tho falue If lhs cane has been psilT
mated aH mlluNH 10 tons prr acre IA
gla0 80 iuH of lanf. or $3.50 prr Aflf.
ons ihaaaaul aHi tefrni} asifs
"a ihi "a nar a1u would fFli i13 tn
IsaiimHnH ,nsi ~ haTffHunH 900 llaf
inR rHHe lu NarH nn maiu ir4H hi ilt