Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1909-03-25

management In June 1907, Is sit
uated on the north side of the Island
of Hawaii in the Hamakua district eight
miles from Honokaa and about sixty miles
from the town of Hilo, the county seat, prin-
cipal trading point and business center OF
the island. The company controls 1858
acres of land, 300 acres being arabic and
81 acres pasture lands. The remainder is
covered with forests The boundary line
of the property extends along the ocean
front for a distance of four miles, and
reaches up to the forest lands for distance
averaging from two to nine miles. These
land holdings-nearly all owned by the com
pany in fee simpe-are bounded upon the
west by the abrupt pals of the renowned
Waipio valley and upon the east by the
Honokaa Sugar Company's property.
The 1909 Crop will come from 754 acres
of plant cane and i6l acres of Rattoons and
probably 100 acres of Striped Tips which
is being tried on the mauka land.
The crop for 1910 will be taken from
about 22OO acres.
Cane is grown at elevations ranging from
800 to 1900 feet, thus presenting many
variations of soil and climate for the man.
agement to consider.
The soil is chocolate colored loan on
the lowlands; that of the uplands is of u
reddish nature. carrying pyroXide of iron.
The late DR.. Trousseau, with Mr.. +. A.
Schaefer of Honolulu, planted the first cane
grown at Kukuihaele in 1874.
The Lahaina variety was grown first but
now Yellow Caledonia predominates as 1t
stands OFF the leaf.hopper.
Ripening Cane.
From the time of blowing the soil to put
ting the cane through the mill, the best part
of two years is consumed, although the act
ual time for the product to ripen is from
eighteen to twenty months.
Nearly all of the field labor is under the
wage system but there are a few japanese
companies with whom the plantation has
contracted to do hoeing stripping and cult.
walton. There are also few Hawaiian
homestead owners who plant small amount
of cane, selling it to the plantation at an
agreed figure.
Rainfall.
The record of rainfall upon the planta
tion taken near the Government road at
an elevation of 800 feet, for the last fifteen
years, is as follows: $780, 115.71; 1891,
10000; 1892, 1850; 1898, 5O.73; 1894, 41s6;
1895, SS.S1; 1896, 6S16; 1897, 34.56; 1898,
G5.52; 1899, 1895; 1900, 57.33; 1901, 1924;
1902, 14422; 1903, 77.6S; 1904, $50; 1906,
Sl.2O: 1906. 65.75; 1907, 71.42; 1908 to Oct.
81. 41.79. The yearly average precipitation,
for ten years preceding 1901 was 5S.67 while
for the seven years since that date, the aver.
age rainfall has been $3.50 inches. This
has meant pretty good supply of water for
all plantation purposes. All records kept
at the mill, at an elevation of $50 feet, show
that for ten years preceding 1901 the aver.
.T.Il 4 a In,
Conserving Forest.
This plantation was one of the first to
provide for the protection of the forest area
upon the upper lands by fencing, whereby
the luXuriant growth of the natural forests
is preserved and a permanent watershed
established.
Every cane field has its own wagon road,
to expedite the handling of plows, seed, fer
tilizers, etc. For blowing the land and other
work incident thereto the company has 200
head of horses and mules in constant use.
Two sets of Fowler Steam Tackles are In
use
Sheep on FalIow Land.
Six hundred sheep are pastured upon the
companys land holdings and are slaughter.
ed from time to time for plantation con
sumption. These sheep are kept principally
upon the fallow lands, where they aid in
keeping down the grasses and weeds
Cane is conveyed from the fields to the
mill by V fumes and steam railroad, stations
being established at suitable points along
the line of the railway system. The cars
are loaded with cane direct from the V
fumes and hauled to the mill
In the transportation of cane to the mill,
some four miles of railway track is used.
This trackage carries fifty cars and one
engine, the cars having an average capacity
OF three tons. Three and one half miles of
railroad connect the Pacific Mill system
with the Honokaa Sugar Company that
adjoins A new railroad $500 feet long