The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-04-06

tContinued from page Sd
trust everything to these same para
sizes is not wise They viii do their
shafe but man must also do his, or
the cultivation of cane. coffee, bananas
or any other crop in these Islands viii
descend from the high plane on which
it now rests to the realm of chance
Active measures must be employed
HOW TO PROCEED.
The term '-active measures does not
necessarily imply the use of sprays or
Insecticides Any improvement in the
care or handling of the crop to help the
plant bear up against its enemies, is an
active measure. In fighting the leaf
hopper of the cane the planter must not
fold his arms and wait for parasites,
spiders and lady-birds to do his work
for him. They will help but the plan
ter must carry his end of the burden
too.
The term active measures implies
an effort on the part OF the cultivator
TO help along the plants that constitute
his money crop and by increasing their
vigor. lessen the effect of injurious in
sect pests and fungus diseases. Man
cannot control the seasons; the rainfall
shine. or any other phase of the wealth
-er. There is a considerable element OF
chance in connection with the cultiva-
ton of any crop whether on large or
small scale. But advance only comes
through effort TO overcome obstacles.
The planters of Hawaii are cultivating
cane in a more intensive fashion than
in any other tropical sugar producing
land. There is no other cane country
where irrigation is practiced on so ex-
tensive a scale. There is probably no
other cane country where the planters
apply so large an amount of CONNER
eial fertilizers per acre or per ton of
sugar. But in the matter of cultivation
of the soil there are other lands which
have advanced beyond the standard
common in these islands.
Cultivation does not necessarily mean
simply keeping a field clean of weeds.
That Is one of the objects but not the
only one Weeds have been defined as
plants growing in the wrong place"
Weeds are ont Of place in a cultivated
field because they steal a good deal of
the plant food that ought to belong
to the cultivated plant.
The chief reason for stirring the soil
is TO make the plant food in the soil
available. The more a soil is stirred
the smaller the soil particles become
and the smaller these soil grains the
greater becomes its water-holding ca
pacity- Cultivation increases the feed |
ing capacity of the roots of plants So |
better cultivation becomes an active |
in fighting insect pests OF field
crops.
Other active MEASURES are the drain |
age OF wet fields or swampy places; /
the use OF organic manures on sterile |
OF washed ridges or their temporary |
abandonment
Three years experience with the leaf
hopper in the cane-field apparently in |
iieates that something can be gained by |
early planting, the idea being TO give
the cane plant the start of a whole /
growing season instead of only part Of
ane, and help the plant to attain a SUI
iciently vigorous summer growth to
larry il through the winter, the time
when growth is retarded and the leaf
topper does the most damage. On some
plantations the water now used for
iGming cane to the mills might be used
o better advantage during the summer
months on the growing crop, leaving
he transportation OF cane to be man