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

miles from Hilo and comprises a
total area of 5000 acres. all of which is plant.
ed to cane of the yellow Caledonia variety
and on the highlands some Striped Tip
cane. About one.half the cane Is plant and
One.half rattoon.
The soil is plowed by placing a Fowler
steam engine at each end of field. the en-
gines being 1900 feet apart and connected
to the plows by an endless wire cable. This
cable is wound on a drum under the engine
and draws the plows to and fro across the
field. In making one trip of 1900 feet the
plows turn over four burrows and break
ground 1900 feet in length and from four
to five feet in width. with this system an
area of twelve acres can be plowed to
depth of from fourteen to sixteen inches in
u day of ten hours. Two sets of Fowler
steam tackles are in use.
The lowest altitude that cane is planted
on the Paauhau lands Is 800 feet while the
greatest elevation Is 20O0 feet From the
bluffs that form the ocean boundary of the
property the land rises in beautiful slope
to the forest line, the soil being black
deep loan. The first cane planted on the
Paauhau lands was about twenty.scven years
ago, when the Lahaina variety was grown
exclusively.
Interesting Cane Transportation.
The method of transporting the ripencd
cane from the field To the mill Is decidedly
interesting The cane is loaded in the fields
direct to the wagons, which have a capacity
of from two and one.half to three tons, and
conveyed to the gravity tramways, which
iHtersect tho plantation at suitable points,
where permanently established loading sta.
lions or derricks are equipped with over
head travelling cranes operated by mules.
The empty cars coming up the incline tram
way are stopped directly under the crane
and by one movement the entire load of
cane is removed from the wagon and de-
posted in the car. Trains are made up and
sent down to the bottom of the incline or
on level with the main track. where they
are picked up by the steam engine and con
yeyed to the mill.
The plantation Is supplied with about If.
teen miles Of railroad and gravity trackagc
and $50 cars, having capacity of three
tons of cane each. Two engines furnish the
motive power. The capacity of any one Of
the five gravity tramways Is 300 tons in n
day Of ten hours. 1t appears to be a very
effective method of keeping the mill sup.
piled. The average yield of all weighed
cane Is four tons of sugar tn the acre or
eight tons of cane to ton of sugar. al
though IL has averaged five tons of sugar to
the same area.
Cooperative Labor.
Labor on the plantation is carried on both
by the day and proft.sharing system. Con
tracts are made with certain parties fo:
planting. cultiyating, fertlizing, etc, for
which they receive certain sum per ton
of cane produced upon the lands under their
charge. 200 acres are divided into home
stead tracts of 20 acres each. The laborers
who have taken them up work for the plan.
tation, but tend to their cane in off hours
and realize about $3.50 per ton from 1t.
Cane cutting, blowing. mule cultivation and
transporting the product to the mill are per.
formed by day labor. At the present time
about 700 contract and day laborers are EN-.
ployed.
The acreage of cane for the 1908 crop was