The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-02-01

are discriminatory applied, unless 10
cal conditions are carefully considered,
more or less complete failures are sure
| TO result The unfortunate fate of
! coffee culture in most of the localities
where tried furnishes striking ex-
I ample; and there are others.
| Defective methods of planting, neg
! lect of shade, failure to fertilize and
| early pruning are quite enough to ac-
count for the failure of coffee in most
parts of Hawaii, and it is the
J conviction of not a few members of the
Society that the time will yet come
when scientific experimentation and
careful study of local conditions viii
| make coffee culture one of the leading
| industries of the island.
1t is for the central Agricultural Sta
| ton to experiment and to formulate
| general methods of procedure which
must be modified by the so-called prac-
| teal farmer according to the special
condition of his own farm.
LOCAL SOCIETY'S FIELD.
Here then is the field of the local
Agricultural Society. It forms a sort
of clearing house for the discussion or
local agricultural conditions and the
treatment of crops. The greater the
number OF local societies in these Is
lands and the more active and interest
ed their members prove to be, the more
valuable and serviceable become the
lessons taught by the central station.
Indeed, unless the experiments of an
agricultural station be made to bear
practical results by the every day far
mer, neither station nor experiments
have any excuse for being.
t.
Agricultural Society that it may do its
part in the utilization of the expert
ments inaugurated in Honolulu and in
the disseminate and practical appli-
cation of the methods and ideas ap-
proved by the central Experiment Sta
ton.
GROWING BANANA INDUSTRY.
Passing from the general aims of
the Hilo Society to it's more special
work of the past year, it may be said
that the subject of banana raising, the
shipment of the fruit and it's sale in
California have been much considered.
Many of the members have banana
patches of varying size, and hence are
directly interested as will appear from
the statement that in Olaa alone some
four hundred acres are now under ba-
nanas as against forty-two acres. in
1902; and that the shipments from Hilo
have now reached the total of some
six thousand punches per month as
against two hundred year and half
ago. About five hundred acres adj
ditional will be planted to the fruit
during the coming year and it is con-
fdently expected that the total ship
ment per month Will soon reach ten
thousand punches.
The growing of bananas upon Ha-
wall for the west coast trade is in it's
early infancy in more ways than one,
and it is confidently believed that
proper facilities for ocean shipment
and the completion of the IIiIo-Kohala
railroad will promote an increase in
the business to very respectable pro-
portions indeed.
THE PINEAPPLE QUESTION.
One of the special meetings held by
the Society was for the purpose of con-
ferring with Mr.. c. P. Bentley, repre-
sentative of a large California can
ming company, with reference to the
growing of island pines for canning,
and full and frank interchange of
facts and views on the subject fol-
lowed.
that only a large cannery could be
made profitable and then only provided |
a thousand tons of fruit could be as |
sured for the first year. Under the |
present condition of the pineapple in |
dustry in the Islands this fact means, |
in Mr.. Bentley's opinion the establish |
ment of a large cannery in some CEN |
trail position where it can draw it's sup
ply of pines from all the Islands. In |
with this central establish /
ment the starting of small branch es-
adjustments might be profitable.
The cannery price mentioned by Mr..
Bentley of cent, or at most of a cent |
and half a pound for the fresh fruit
delivered proved disappointing to most |!
of the members present, who believe |
that figure to be too low to permit of
profit to the small grower.
More recently the practicability of
the esta blishment of a small indie
pendent cannery in Hilo has been
preached which will perhaps utilize
other canning products during the sea-
son when pines are not to be had in
sufficient numbers. A special meeting
has been called for the full consfd-
Grafton of this project.
At present only very small acreage
ibout Hilo is devoted to pines; but it
s thought that, with adequate canning
ABILITIES and also for shipping the
sreen fruit in winter when California
ruit is out of season, the acreage can
re greatly increased and the industry
'e made profitable alike to Gamer and
o producer.
OTHER MOOTED PRODUCTS.
The raising of manioc or tapioca
ormed the basis of a very interesting !
nd valuable paper by Mr.. William
Kinney, who advocated the general !
lanting of tapioca as a fodder plant
or horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, goats
nd poultry. He claimed superiority Il
or it over the potato ip the manufac-
l,ro Of frn,r