The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1904-02-02

II Is the earnest hope OF the Hilo
Agricultural Society that It may do It's
part in the utilization Of the expert
| ments inaugurated In Honolulu and in
the dissemination and practical appli-
cation of the methods and ideas APP
! 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, 1t may be said
that the subject OF banana raising, the
shipment of the fruit and Its 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
lso2; and that the shipments from Hilo
nave now reached the total Of some
six thousand punches per month as
against two hundred year and a half
ago. About five hundred acres ad-
ditional will be planted to the fruit
during the coming year, and II Is con-
hdently 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 its
early infancy In more ways than one,
and 1t is confidently believed that
proper facilities for ocean shipment
and the completion OF the Hilo-Kohala
railroad will promote an increase in
the hllSinpSu 70
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 n large California can
ming company. with reference to the
growing OF island pines for canning.
and n full and frank interchange of
facts and views on the subject fol-
lowed.
Mr. Bentley expressed the opinion
that only large cannery could be
made profitable and then only provided
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 1t can draw It's sup
ply of pines from all the Islands. In
connection with this central establish
ment the starting of small branch es-
Establishments might be profitable.
The cannery \price mentioned by Mr..
Bentley of cent, or at most of a cent
and n half pound for the fresh fruit
Iicor Init ne 30
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 establishment of 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 consid-
Grafton OF this project.
AT present only very small acreage
about Hilo Is devoted to pines; but it
is thought that. with adequate canning
facilities and also for shipping the
green fruit in winter when California
fruit is out of season, the acreage can
be greatly increased and the industry
be made profitable alike to Gamer and
to producer.
OTHER MOOTED PRODUCTS.
The raising of manioc or tapioca
formed the basis of a very interesting
and valuable paper by Mr.. William
Kinney. who advocated the general
planting of tapioca as fodder plant
for horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, goats
and nnii1trv 10 III
for 1t over the potato in the manufac-
ture Of starch both for laundry pur-
poses and as an edible It's ready
to variety of climates,
except n very dry one, constitutes
peculiar merit for this readily Guilt
waited and valuable plant.
The topic of forage grasses for Ha-
wall occupied the attention of the So
ciety at one of its meetings, and Mr..
III. 70. Kelsey read paper containing
many valuable facts in relation there
to as the results OF his own expert
ments in KalwiN and those of others
elsewhere in the island.
Some of the members of the Society
have experimental In n small way in
The cultivation of the Japanese" gin
ger plant. Enough has been done to
show that large crops can be grown in
Puma and Olaa, but the price quoted
to the growers OF cent and n half
per pound for the green root seems to
De prohibitive of all profit
The above represent some Of the more
important subjects which have APP
peared in the Society's proceedings
during the past year, but without
doubt the most valuable part >of its
functions is less in the preparation and
'eading Of set papers than in the bring
ng together OF men interested in the
'ame pursuits and in the informal in
exchange OF ideas regarding the above
md kindred topics.