The Washington herald., 1909-05-30
Valuable Discoveries Made
in the Islands.
PLANTS GROW FROM CUTTINGS
Climate Makes Perennial of the
Stock, and Trees Exist There
Twenty Years OId-Experiment
Station Succeeds in Budding One
Branch to Another.

Honolulu, Hawaii, May 29.-Some inter
esting and valuable discoveries concern
ing cotton have been made by the United
States agricultural experiment station,
which has been working for several
years on this staple. and there is every
indication that II VIII come 70 be an i'm
portant product OF the islands.
As q result Of several satisfactory ex-
peTtmenCaI cr0ps raised By Jhe station.
half q dozen paintings have been made
on q commercial basis in various sec
tons, 100 acres or more having been
planted in all
In the matter Of discoveries, the ex-
perimenters believe that instead Of plant
ing the crop as an annual as IS the Gus
tom in practically all the cotton-produc-
ing countries, It viii here be found most
profitable as a perennial. and expert
ments are being carried on 10 determine
this point definitely
Raised Cotton in the '6O's.
During the civil war. when cotton
prices went up 20 81 a pound, quite a lit
tie industry was built up in Hawaii in
cotton growing. but after the war II was
neglected and finally abandoned. The
cotton plants from that time have grown
wild, and without frost have continued 70
grow year after year until trees from If
teen to thirty feet high. having a girth
OF trunk twelve 70 fifteen Inches or more,
are common.
Some Of these old cotton trees are
known 10 be from fifteen 10 twenty years
H-1~ al
though the quality OF the product is not
OF the hest Frederick g KraUss. OF the
experimental station force. who has had
charge OF The cotton experiments, be-
Eeves that BY proper pruning Il VIII he
possible 70 prOduce much heavier crops
per acre from plants several years old
than would be possible under the best
conditions when grown as an annual
Grows Plants from Cuttings.
Another discovery made by AIr- Krauss
IS that cotton may be grown from cut
tings as well as from seed. and one Of
the experimental growers has further
proved that Il Is easy 20 bud or graft
cotton from one stock 10 another The
value Of these discoveries would seem 70
be in the fac1 that the uncertainty OF
growing cotton from seed may be entire
ly dispensed with.
Cotton growers generally understand
the difficulty Of keeping up the standard.
for the reason that cotton is one OF the
most easily crossed pie1ts Of any. bees
and other insects carrying pollen from
one blossom 10 another for considerable /
distance. thus mixing the strains
By planting only from cuttings or BY 4
budding this difficulty VIII be entirely 4
removed and would seem 20 be practica-
bic IN case i proves practicable not 10 (
plant every year
Hawaii Has Native Cotton.
SIN another discovery in this connec- /
ton Is Of much interest and may prove 4
OF great value. It appears that there IS
a cotton Indigenous 10 Hawaii. although (
OF no commercial value. The boil is
very small. the staple snort. and n col /
or a light brown The qualities which /
would seem TO make It OF great iapor- I
tance. provided II can be successfully 4
crossed with standard strains. are its /
wonderful drought resistance and its 4
color.
This native cotton was found By Mr..
Krauss growing on an almost barren
.
year can scarcely be more than eight OF
ten inches This quality OF resistance, II
Il can be transmitted 10 standard cottons.
would make II invaluable, for much land
IN Hawaii IS now practically vaIueIess.
The color would seem 70 be also worth
preserving. if possible.
The experiment station o. two expert
mental patches, neither OF which. Mr.
krauSs states were under ideal cond{-i
tons, produced in one crop at the rate
OF 90 and 20 pounds Of Sea Island cot
ton Per acre, respectively. Samples sent
20 mills II Georgia, the Carolinas, and 10
Bremen were by all pronounced superior
70 any Sea Island cotton available in the
markets.
Experiments with upland cotton and
caraVOnlCa wool cotton have proved
equally encouraging Most Of the com
mercial paintings have been made Of this
last-named strain