Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-12-03
NOW ON AT

expense at the outset, serves 10 STedt
advantage in facilitating all subse..
quent operations, such as planting,
fertilizing and harvesting; and serves
to minimize the chance of error in
securing accurate results in these
import field tests.
To have arranged these expert
mentS under the Hawaiian system OF
irrigation as ordinarily practiced, we
would have met with a field of curved
rows conforming in general to curved
and unparallel level bitches and in
terspersed with short rows. To adopt
the checker board system of plat eX-
periments to such field would have
presented. untold difficulties. The
small pfats would of necessity have
been of different sizes, and owing to
the 'hapas," or short rows, occurring
at varying intervals the width and
length of the rows would also have
been variable factors.
1t is fortunate therefore that after
due consideration is was found pos
sible on large portion of the avail
able area to utilize straight and par
allel level bitches, rows, and water
courses, without in any way altering
the principle of the general practice
OF irrigation.
The field was not sufficiently level
to utilize any single direction of rows
throughout but by dividing the area
into large blocks and employing the
same direction of rows throughout
each of these blocks the purpose was
accomplished. The system of straight
rows admitted of each row being the
same width, and in order to avoid
an accumulation OF errors in plow-
ured them off en- bloc-that is, in
making five-foot rows. ten equidistant
rows were placed within a 50-foot
strip, and thus the inevitable errors
that occur in attempting to pillow fur
rows of an exact width are compensa-
tive rather than accumnlative!
With this scheme as developed by
Messrs. Agee and Naquin it. does not
matter whether or not the water
courses are perpendicular to the
rows. Where they are perpendicular
to the rows the plats are equal rec
tangles, where otherwise the plats
are parallelograms of equal area.
In order to have a pathway between
the plats space six feet wide
(measured with the direction of the
rows was left for each water course.
This area is not included in the area
of the platst .
The experiments themselves are
now under way, having been planted
out June II to July II. Their pur-
pose may be briefly outlined as fol
lows:
Experiment A. Irrigation Test
This embraces comparison of irri-
CATION at 7-day, 14-day. and 28-dav
intervals with both ,Lahaina and yell
low Caledonia cane. This test is more
or less preliminary in character as
the more thorough Irrigation expert
ments have been reserved for two
years hence, when the additional area
will be taken over by the substation.
The test, however. should result in
data of an interesting nature. not
only in showing the comparative
yields with different periods be-
tween irrigations, but more particu-
larly. from a practical standpoint. in
offering information as to the COM
parative water requirements of our
two standard varieties Of cane.
Experiment 3. fertilizer Test)-,
This experiment deals with the ques-
ton of when to apply DRESSINGS of
nitrate of soda. 1t compares appli-
cations in March. April, May and
June, together with fractional apDli-
cations extending over three months.
and fractional applications extending
over four months. The practice of
applying nitrate of soda, so universal
in these islands, varies greatly in re-
spect TO the time Of application. The
results to be obtained from Expert
ment b will 60 far toward substitute
ing definite facts where opinion is
now the prevailing guide j
Experiment G.. fertilizer Test
The time OF applying the regular mix
ed fertilizer is no less an important
matter than that of nitrate applica-
tons. and it is no less a mooted Ques-
ton to Judge by the present differ
enCe OF practice. The experiment is
designed TO sive data of a definite
and reliable nature as to when to
fertlize It embraces a comparison
of fertilizer applied in August and
fertilizer applied in March, and in
cludes series OF schemes of fertil-
izati0n whereby different proportions
OF the fertilizer are applied at differ
emf seasons. In other words, it is
meant to determine how the greatest
.can be obtained from a !
given outlay in purchasing fertilizers. |
PLANTATION SUBSTATlONS !
The large stripping substation cx- !