The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-08-29
Al TITUOE
FOR CANE
Dr.. Russell Disasrees
With Forester
f1osmer.
Mountain View. Hawaii.

august 20, 1914.
f; Editor Advertiser: From the report
of the superintendent of Forestry, as
published in your issue of August 18th
inst, see that the limit for profitable
cane planting for the Hilo district is
set at 1850 feet altitude.
I have neither experience nor data
in regard to the Hilo district and Ha-
makua coast. and cannot contest the
fact set forth. It may be that for this
particular locality, for some reasons or
others, the limit of profitable cane Gull
tivation does not extend any higher.
But I am afraid that Mr.. r. s. Hos
mer and after his expert authority the
general public may generalize the fact,
and conclude that 1850 feet is the limit
of altitude for profitable cane cultiva-
ton on the islands everywhere.
Such generalization will be erroneous.
However smau-is the area of these
islands, certain conditions like trade
winds, high mountains, etc, render our
climate and consequently our capabiii-
ties of growing various crops, very
diversified indeed. Every district, ev-
cry locality has some important pecu-
liarities of it's own in regard TO climate,
soil and agricultural possibilities.
There is no rule and there cannot be
any rule. In every district one has to
make a special study for every plant.
This was the principal argument
against the present location of the Fed
eraI Experiment Station by Mr.. Stubs
in Honolulu.
In this particular question of the
limit of profitable cane cultivation, l
can state with positive assurance, cor
roborating my statement with numer-
Gus aff1davits of settlers and sugar
plantation managers, that for the dis
trict of Olaa the limit of profitable
cultivation of the cane in considerably
higher, nearly the double of altitude
given for the Hilo district by Mr. Hos
mer. We actually plant cane for years
at the altitude of 20e0 to 5000 feet, and
our profits and yields increase with the
altitude within the said limits instead
of decreasing. AS follows from the af
fidavit of Mr.. Supe he gathered fifty
six tons of cane per acre at 1000 feet.
Mr.. G.. V. Takins, whose affidavit is
ALSO in my possession. has gathered at
the elevation of 230O feet eighty-two
tons per acre. Mr.. e. w. Fuller, the
section superintendent of the Olaa su-
gar plantation, has gathered after nine
teen months only from the field of
reverend hill at the elevation of 2S00
feet a few acres of cane yielding seven
tons of sugar per acre.
An these affidavits you will find print
ed lin the prospectus of the Menehune
Agricultural Companies, which I mail
you for the inspection of Mr.. Hosmer.
The altitude of profitable cane rails
ing on the windward side is consid-
erab1y higher than on the leeward, at
least for the Island of Hawaii, on ac-
count of the noderating influence of
temperature extremes by the trade
winds.
One must never forget that only eight
years ago the general opinion of sugar
cane planters was that on these Ha-
waiian Islands the cane can be raised
profitably on the beach only at the sea
level. This shows how little reliable are
all such statements, if not corroborated
by actual experiments in every locality
separately.
I beg, sir, to remain,
Yours respectfully,
DIR. NICHOLAS Russell.