The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1914-03-24
PROCESS MAY
solve HAY
PROBLEM
Bureau Of Plant Industry Of Fed
eral Department Of Agriculture
Finds Method Of Curing Alfalfa
Which May Result in Making
Raising Of That Fesdstuff a
Great INDUSTRY in THESE ISL
ands.
tFrom saturday Advertiser.l }

tined 70 become thriving lnduStry IN
Hawaii, DIR. Il, v, Wilcox, director Of
the experiment station, stated in an I'M
terview yesterday. iTls bureau Of plant
industry of the federal department Of
agriculture has been investigating the
science Of hay-making over a series OF
years, with especial reference to utiliz-
ing snecuIent forage crors, such as COW.
peas, soya beans, the clovers and al.
ialfa.
Alfalfa makes fine hay without much
difficulty or danger of loss in the ifii.
gated portions OF the arid ana semi.
arid Western States, whore the air is
80 dry that IL quickly takes up all the
surplus moisture from tine cut alfalfa.
In the Middle Prairie stat and ia tue
South, hay-mnSing is difficult propo.
sition, just us it is here in Hawaii.
The plant industry experts have been
experimenting on the hay-euring process
in. one Of the wet and .si1trg stretches
of Missouri bottom LANDS, where alfalfa
grows like weed, Tut il has Leeit con.
sidered impossible, on account Of the
humid atmosphere, to do anything at
all with the crop.
Drying Process Perfected.
After trying out lot of suggested
methods, the experts hit on an artii.
cial diving process that has been ,ptr-
fected TO the point whore 1t is FRO.
bounced a phenomenal success. The
green or wilted alfalfa is handed direct
from the field to 4 large air-tight barn,
provided with steam boiler and eng ne,
a network of steam pipes, around the
walls aud d blower outfit.
The alfalfa is unloaded onto an ele
yntof belt, which carries il IN TO the
gable aud dumps ii onto slow-moving
endless belt. There is a battery Of a
dozen or more Of these endless belt
carriers, one above tie other. The new
~ cut alfalfa travels slowly back and
forth from one end to the ether through
the stcam-heated air of the barn. De-
posted FIRST on the topmost belt, IL
drops onto the next and then the next,
constantly losing moisture, until, when
" falls off Che end of the bottom belt.
the alfalfa Is completely dried out and
ready to bale. <
|. Artificial Hay Is Richest.
The Washington experts say that
sixty horsepower boiler will supply
heat and power TO cure the hay ero5
from q hundred acres of alfalfa. Hay
which is artifcially cured by tins proc.
ess Is fright green, sweet and fragrant.
The hay analyses letter than that cured
in the open, being much richer In pro.
TEN, or matchmaking elements. All
Of the nutrients of the s can. cured hay
are also. more digestible than in the
alfalfa that goes through the usual out
of-door curing process.
Nay Solve Problem Here.
Doctor Wilcox believes that the ap:
pheation Of this new Missouri process
locally is going to help solve the baled
hay problem. A good many thotsabd
tons of hay are imported that, mi ght
juat as well lie grown in Hawaii, and
undoubtedly will be if the successful
cure of the hay crop can be assured.
With an oilsburning Plant, steam.
cured hay can undoubtedly be produced
In Hawaii as cheaply as in Missouri,
where the department of agriculture
experts reported the cost as ten TO
twelve dollars per ton from field 20
bale. Alfalfa hay costs about twenty,
FIVE dollars per ton in the Honolulu
market, aud wheat hay more. Expert,
fnents with this new method will IN.
doubtehlv be made on some of the Isl.
and plantations and ranches, not only
with alfalfa, hut with grain AMI grass
crops,
Superintendent Of Public works John
w aldwell Yesterday threw ont all The
bids which had been submitted and
were opened on Monday for the con,
struction Of the Kpl9imano and Kaa-
poke homestead roads in South Hilo
and the Olaa Summer Lots road In
the ease Of the Kulaimano and K4a.
poke bids the superintendent stated
Yesterday that failure to conform I.
some of the formalities required m the