The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1907-10-18

/ perhaps twenty miles of territory, on
small trails, which were in some cases
hard even for the native ponies TO
travel.
Rubber trees were on all sides. 1t
was as in the sugar district where only
fields of cane can be seen. Nothing
but rubber trees were in evidence.
Here and there would be a nursery,
surrounded with wire screens to keep
away the rats, which are the great
est enemy of the young plant The
method which is usually followed on
Maui in raising the trees is TO plant
the seed in a nursery, where the lower
coating of soil is composed of horse
manure, which contains so much heat
that the seed terminates rapidly, COM
ing up TO the surface of the ground
in from two TO ten days. An interest
ing feature in this connection is that
the seed which has been taken from
the trees grown in this Territory has
proved far more fertile than that
which has been imported. In this con-
uection it is stated that ninety per
cent. of the local seeds have germi-
mated, while of the imported seeds
only from seventy to eighty per cent
have come to life
PLANTING TREES.
When the young plant is grown to
height Of from six inches TO a foot 1t
is placed in a cane basket, made from
a section OF sugar cane, perhaps five
inches long and open at both ends,
and in this receptacle is planted in
the ground at the desired distance.
The cane basket quickly decomposes,
and the plant is left free In plant
ing at Nahiku the usual method fol-
lowed has been to clear a space OF
al weeds and growth about three feet
in diameter and to place the small
plant in the center Of this. The plants
are placed in rows ten feet apart, and
from ten to twelve feet separates the
rows This means that each acre Of
land will accommodate about 400 rub
ber trees.
The land between the trees is not
cultivated, on account of the fact that
the trees seem 20 thrive and do well
under the method in use and the cost
of cultivating the entire space or
ground which will ultimately be COW
cred by the trees would be excessive
It has become the custom of the
plantations to have the rubber plants
set out bv contract, and at the Nahiku
planta ton this plan has been very
successfully followed. Last year the
contracts called for the plants to be set
out and cared for and to be accepted
by the plantation il two feet high at
the end Of six months. For each plant
so grown, the sum Of ten cents was
paid This price has been brought
down this year, and eight cents will
be paid for plants under the same gen.
eral rules.
RATS ARE ENEMIES.
Rats are one Of the greatest enemies
which the rubber plantations have.
The rodent family delight in the ten
der morsels which they find in the
young shoot and make habit Of living
in colonies in the guIch and doing their
work Of ravage at night After the
plants have grown to q height Of sew
eraI feet they are free from this pest,
against which all possible precautions
are taken in the meantime. Numer-
Gus attempts have been made with
various kinds Of poison, and dogs OF
rat-kiIling species have been used with
considerable success, and the managers
Of the plantations around Nahiku have
been able TO drive away or kill 50 many
OF the pests that they believe that
they have the situation well under
control
Three kinds Of rubber trees have
been tried on Maui The most import
ant Of these Is the Ceara, which has
proved to be the most rapid grower
and has in this Territory far out
stripped all known records for luxuri- !
ant and healthy growth The second. |
IN the minds Of the rubber growers. is
the Hevea- which has not grown 80
well, and Is what Il sometimes called I
the Brazilian, or Para rubber. The
third Is the castilloa, or Central Amer