Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-09-10
PASTURE lands
IN HAWAII GOOD
FOR ALL CROPS
Practically Entire Arabic Area
Can Be Devoted to General
Farming, Says U. S. Bulletin

!
| WASHINGTON. d. c.. Aug. So
There Is no valid reason says a
recent bulletin Of the Hawaii Agricul
tural Experiment Station, Department
Of Agriculture, on the soils OF the 4Ha,
waiian islands, why practically all OF
the arabic land In Hawaii should not
ultimately be devoted to general farm
| ing. At the present time only a very
small percentage of this area has
been brought under cultivation, the
main portion being still used for pas.
ture. The acreage OF. cultivated land,
however, Is slowly increasing and gen,
eraI farming should become more uni
Versal
"The soils OF Hawaii are usually
very heavy in character" continues
the bulletin. They can not, however,
be classed as clay soils in the true
sense. They are characterized by a
high content Of iron and aluminium
hydrates and by low silica content
After rain they rapidly become closely
compact and the lack Of drainage and
proper aeration are serious draw.
backs. The effect of green manaring
Is strikingly beneficial u - NJ
in almost every section of the is
lands heavy rains sometimes occur
and in some regions the rainfall Is
excessive. One Of the most .perplex-
ing questions, therefore, especially for
pineapple growers, is a proper system
"of drainage. Generally, d the open
ditch system has been adopted, but
no thoroughly satisfactory method has
yet been devised. Lime has been
tried IN order TO tighten the heavy
clays, but the results have been doubt
full. 8 l.,.
I'm their chemical characteristics
the Hawaiian soils are rather below.
the average in their potash content,
but what they have Is rather more
soluble than usual and, In conse-
quence, more available On the other
hand, phosphoric acid is comparative
II abundant. sbNt its aFaila bility is
rather low. Except where the hnmas
content Is high, therefore, phosphate
fertilization is usually necessary. As
with phosphoric acid, the huInus con.
tent is usually high, but is available
ity is low on account OF poor aeration.
On this account the nitrogen does not
become available FAST enRugh for the
maximum growth OF crops, and only
by maintaining large amounts of hu.
mus can the soils be kept in a. suitable
condition. d r a
Crop rotation provided the answer
10 this problem II Q green fnanuring
crop be ploughed under occasionally.
Humus, says the report SIS the key
to successful soil management in Ha-
wall as elsewhere. Sugan planters
are now recognizing this fact and In
stead of burning the trash and crop
residue are blowing these under In
the pineapple lands green manuring 4
crop should be grown between crops.
The single crop system has given poor
results and, It isesaid, mist inevitably
give way to diyersificatfon. =
In the report already mentioned,
which is published as Bulletin No. 40
Of the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment
Station, are series Ut tables giving
the chemical composition OF Hawaiian
soils, the amount of humus, humus ash
and nitrogen In them, and their me.
chanical composition. No attempt has
been made to make soil survey map
Of the islands such as is made for
counties In the continental portion Of
the United States, because both the
chemical and physical composition
vary greatly within very short dis
tanceS : -. ~ ,