The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-12-17


charge that he had been guilty of using
| Thomas Stag. He did il first because it
was so much cheaper than superphos
phate, and afterwards because the cane
was so good. ~ believe reverted phos-
phate does not do any HARM" he said
cit looks as IL we might get some of
| our money back" and the planters
smiled. Mr.. Bull corroborated Mr..
Webster 3 statement on the relative cost
of the two forms of phOsphoric acid.
The reverted costs at least five dollars
an acre less.
John T. MOir cracked up tankage and
press cake as a rafting good combina-
ton which gives results and is cheap.
He defended his system of cultivation
on the grounds that root pruning in
September makes the cane stool. cit
is an easy way to get ahead with work
and still get the planting DONE" he
said, referring to the operations describ
ed in the printed report.
G. +. Eckart complimented James
Webster on his remarkable success in
transforming his plantation into an
"all rattoon" one by his practical sys-
tenn of lining and blowing in the, trash.
He also spoke favorably Of David
Forbes experiments on weed control
through lining. Mr.. Forbes defended
his practise of growing legumes and
on the plea that "all we lose Is the
water and at Waiakea we don't really
need any more water in our soils"
Leguues For Green Manure
DR.. H. l.. Lyon talked about crotal
|
and other legumes, and that brought up
the question of why is the jack bean.
Mr.. Forbes was inclined to criticize the
experiment station for having recon-
mended jack beans, stating that there
are no nodules on the roots. DR.. Agee
said there are, only ordinarily they all
remain in the soil when the plants are
pulled up for examination.
Replying to a direct question by f.
FaxOn Bishop as to whether Mauritius
beans are better than jack beans Dr.
Agee said their uses are different. The
jack bean is one of the few legumes
that grows well in the half shade of the
rows. The Nautilus bean is a climber
and sometimes grows so thick that it
covers up the cane and threatens to
choke it out
Stripping or Burning
Mr.. Lydgate then brought the strip
ping question to the fore saying that
he strongly favors it if labor is avail
able. Mr.. Eckart took up the cudgels
against stripping. J. A. Scott said he
still strips his cane because If he does
not the cutters cannot keep his mill
supplied. The fumes choke up with un
stripped cane. He never burns cane
before cutting. ~ believe in burying
the trash if we have the labor" Mr.
Scott said. ~ too am getting my plan
tatiOn down to a rattOOn basis and
never plant over 200 acres in any one
year. Some of my fields have been
continuously in cane since 1910 and
yields are more than double what they
were sixty years ago. My average this
year was $3.50 tons of sugar per acre
for the whole plantation. Third rat
toons gave as high as 7.75 tons on some
fields. -
Mr.. Eckart maintained that burning
is very bad practise. Mr.. Broadbent
spoke in favor of burying the trash.
Answering J. NJ. Ross question as to
how burning affects the rattOons L. K.
Bull said ~ admit that rattons come
up better after burning but have
never believed in burning" H. B.
PenhallOw thought trash left on the
field does not hold cane back.
The question whether to palipali or
just let the cane find its way through
the trash bed was debated by managers
Ross, Webster, Adams, NOR, Renton
and Scott. James Webster lets the
trash alone for a good two months until
the blanket is well packed down. Man.
ager Ross palipali = as little as posi-,
BILE, cat cost of ten cents an acre, "
he said. cit looks rough but the cane
is just as good. -
Slams Hamakua Weather
Manager George +. RentOn made slur-
ring remarks about the brand Of wealth,
err which prevails on the Big Island
plantations and said he too would like
to pillow in the trash but he does not
know how
A general discussion of many topics
followed. AlOnzo Gartley's question
as to the effect of topping and adding
nitrates on the length Of joints develop.
Ell variety of opinion indicating that
while the managers can grow cane they
are not bOtanists. Managers Eckart,
BrOadbent, MOir and Scott, and Mr..