Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1909-03-25
Development Of Plantation Equip
ment and Improved Methods
of Cultivation.

OF CULTIVATION.
Most Of the sugar planters OF this genera
ton would undoubtedly say, II asked that
the machinery for the extraction of sugar
as represented in modern 12.roller mill
and other apparatus of the same high grade
have developed as far as possible with econ
omc success
similar view In reference to the 5.roller
mill was held by experienced sugar plant
ers I'm 1888. A committee of the Planters
Labor and Supply Company in that year
stated THAT no method has as yet been in.
vented for extracting juice from cane, that
II is at all certain will supercede the or
5.roller mill There Is from eight to ten
per cent Of saccharne matter In cane, that
no method has as yet succeeded In extract
ing in a manner that will pay where fuel
Is expensive Inventors have done their
duty and puzzled their brains over this
waste. The diffusion process will extract
all the saccharine juice. but applied to cane
IL has not as yet proved altogether a sue.
cess Maceration mills will extract nearly
all the saccharine matter, but we think II
doubtful whether they would pay here
where fuel is so expensive"
II would be very interesting to trace In
detail the rapid development of sugar mills
and machinery since 1876, or even earlier.
but for the purpose Of this article a brief
mention of the more important improve.
ments is all that is necessary.
First koloa Mill.
Going further back 1t perhaps should be
stated that the first mill to manufacture
sugar, for export, was erected at Koloa In
1885. seed for the plantation being obtained
10 neigh bDrhDDl
with much difficulty on account Of the op.
position of the chiefs OF Kauai. Another
locality on Kauai, Kekaha. also claims the
distinction of having the first sugar mill
which was hewn out of ohia timber by Mr..
Whitney. one of the pioneer missionaries,
and was used in the manufacture Of sugar
and molasses as early as 1920. All these
very early mi Is had wooden rollers work.
ed by animal power. The mode of sugar
boiling was by the open train. with whale
ship trypots.
The number Of plantations In operation In
1861 was 90. of which 8 used steam rs
motive power in grinding ~ were driv.
en- by water, and one by animal power.
Just previous to the treaty of reciprocity
the number of plantations stood at from
30 to 80, while In December, 1871 Is
months after the PRONUNCIATION of the treaty
there were 46 plantations. In many loca-
tons cane planting on the cooperative
plan was Largely entered into.
The history Of the Hawaiian cane crush
ing mills may be divided into three topics:
First, single 3.roller mills, used eXclu
siyely up to 1885 and in some instances
later;
Second, an addition Of one or two 2-rol
err mills to the original 3.roer mills In all
sugar houses;
Third, the introduction In 1894 of the
9-roller mill, and In 1905 OF the 12.roller
mill.
with the Stroller mill 1t may be safe to
state that 60 pounds OF Juice extracted from
100 pounds of cane was considered satisfac.
tory mill work, and 20 pounds of juice eX-
ceptionally good extraction.
With such extraction the bagasse con.
tanned so much water that II would not
burn without being first dried, and 1t re.
quired coal as fuel at approximately the
ratio Of one pound Of fuel for two pounds OF
sugar manufactured. A large number OF
laborers were required TO spread the bagasse
on the ground and open II up so that the
sun could dry 1t before II was gathered and
carried into the bagasse houses where It
took from two to three weeks to dry so
that 1t would burn readily.
The first additional rollers were installed
at Waiakea Mil and later by all
the plantations. The great advantages de-
rived from the use OF one or two additional
2.roller mills, arranged to grind the partly
crushed cane from the single 3.roller mill
were then, comparatively speaking. OF vast.
~ greater Importance than any other mill
improvements which since then have taken
place. These advantages were principally