The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-08-22
THE NAH|KU
RUBBER CO..

An informal meeting OF the Nahlku
Rubber Company was held at Republic
can headquarters last night
Mr.. Anderson. manager of the COM
pany's plantation. attended and answer
cd questions about the conditions OF
things there. w. w. Hall presided and
a score OF people were present.
Asked how soon he would have the
500 acres of the estate planted, Mr..
Anderson said he hoped to have that
work completed next year, though the
prospectus gave three years.
From 720 seedlings planted after the
first of January this year $50 trees
were growing. Three hundred were
permanently set out. In height the
young trees ranged from feet to 9 feet
Q inches. Eighty-fve thousand seeds
were planted in beds In May, of which
2525 came up owing to bad seed. Just
before leaving Nahiku on his present
visit to town Mr.. Anderson had planted
1900 seeds and there were 5000 on
hand still to be planted.
He explained that seeds obtained
from a highly reputed house in Paris
had turned out badly. Director Jared
G. Smith of the U. S. Experiment Sta
ton had told him there was no doubt
the house would make good. Louis
Toussaint caused smiles by his ques-
tioning the wisdom of buying rubber
seeds in Paris. II am Frenchman."
he remarked, but France does not
grow rubber"
Returning to his account OF planting,
Mr.. Anderson told of 1900 seeds, the
greater portion Nevea. planted in June.
They had put in between $4,000 and
80, 900 trees, of which s5 per cent. were
growing.
Mr.. Hall said that, according to the
prospectus they were to have 10000
trees planted this year, but now they
hoped to have 10000. They had $4,000
seeds from two hoases in Cey'on, in
equal portions. Some time ago 10000
stumps were cabled for, and they had
just cabled for $4,000 more.
Mr.. Anderson explained the culture
from stumps. They come like bundles
of dried sticks and when planted the
tops die away the living growth beng
derived from a sprout that terminates
at the root. Sometimes the sprout will
run laterally several inches under
ground before poking its head above
the surface. All the plants, SO FIR as
germinated, were doing well. Some
had come from Ceylon roughly packed
In kerosene oil tins, and though SEEM
ingly of low vitality came up in three
weeks.
Tlvr plants of the Castilloa from Men
leo received from the Government about
the middle of May all lived and are
now 21-2 feet high.
The soil at NahilSu was about the
same as that of the Mexican planta-
lions. 1t was better than that of Cey-
lon and nearly as good as the soil at
the mouth of the Amazon. Mr.. Shaw
remarked that on part of the land he
had raised ~ tons of sugar cane to the
acre without fertilizing
There are 23 men now employed on
the plantation, divided between Portu-
guese and Japanese, When the tapping
season comes. about so men VIII be
required.
clearing so acres at cost of about
$40 an acre, but when 1t comes to Lam
tana clearing the expense will be 81 or
50 greater.
The plantation is situated six to eight
miles from Hama landing. to which a
road leads.
J rubber tree planted at Nahiku in
1898 now measures As inches in girth.
At the meeting a sample of rubber
made from this tree was handed around
for inspection. 1t is calculated that
about pound and a half of rubber
a season will be the average yield of
a tree.
Mention was made of cacao culture
experiment as side issue on the plan
tati.n. Seeds sent up by AR Hall were
planted In February, but never grew.
Mr.. Hall had received 200 seeds from
Mrs, Fosters garden which would be
tried. Mr. Anderson made it clear that
there was little risk in trying cacao as
an auxiliary product, because Il did not
tax the ground area. 1t is ooiy shrub
and had room enough to grow between
the rubber trees. If it thrived. which
was uncertain. 1t would be very profit
able.
Finally. DIR. Warehouse read an ac-