Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-06-02
FIELD CORN

in Hawaii is constantly and steadily
increasing, and we'll IT may when We
consider its ultimate possibilities as
a food crop for men and livestock.
Most crops, under favorable condi,
tions, may produce a hundred-foId
but corn wifi easily OltdO any # its
fellows. 4 we'll Developed ear of
corn bears approximately a thousand
grains of sced-the product Of a sin
gle grain. An acre may be made to
produce a hundred bushels weighing
$500 pOunds-tWO Ind three fOurths
tons. This is one hundred and twenty
days from planting to harvest
No other crop approaches such pro-
duction in quantity, and food quality
is certainly not lacking in this golden
grain.
Well may We give careful consider
alton to the corn crop as have al
ready some of our advanced farmers.
The Parker Ranch on Hawaii crops
close to 1000 acres in some years.
Their yields average 40 bushels per
acre. The average yield in the fore
most corn states IS around 50 bushels.
Hawaii's average yields on 5000 acres
is probably about that Of the main
land corn belt. 1t is certainly not as
low as the % bushei average for the
whole United States. But Hawaii as
well as the corn states can double
its yields-Parker Ranch has we'll
authenticated yields Of so bushels per
acre. The College Of Hawaii farm has
produced over 90 bushels on large
experimental plots, and during the
past year a hundred bushels were
produced at the Haiku substation, on
land which in its virgin state pro-
duced less than 40 bushels. Success
full corn culture in Hawaii in all but
the most favorable localities requires
good farming Unfortunately most OF
us are not as yet good farmers. Our
diversified agriculture is still in its
infancy and too new to furnish the
experience necessary to guide US
rightly under adverse or unusual
However, we are each
year learning more Of our seasons,
better methods of tillage, adapting
varieties and developing improved
strains. We are learning to unlock
the latent fertility of our soils and at
the same time ..oding materially to
the original stores. Lowering costs
of production will come with added ex-
perience, as will doubtless the extern
sion of our markets in the demand
for better conditioned livestock. We
must sell our corn crop Oh the hoo1,
and retain the priceless by-product-'
manure-to replenish the drain from
our soils.
Conditions and Methods Of Culture
Climate is an important consldera'
ton in corn growing, but Hawaii ap-
nears to have upset some well estao'
Iished corn growing theories. In both
the Kula region on Maui and the Wal
kee section of the Parker Ranch, the
corn crop certainly rarely expert
ences either the warmth OF tempera'
ture. especially the night temperature,
or the moisture requirements as lalo
down in our standard text books. On
the other hand it should be stated
that the marked differences in our
climatic conditions over theirs, Is
probably compensated for oy our
unusually long growing period. re"
mainland corn growers will be aole
to comprehend that much OF our coro
REQUIRES from five to eight months u
mature. and that bumper crops nave
been produced on less than four
inches of rainfall.
Perhaps no crop, not even excepting
alfalfa. is so greatly Influenced by the
of the soil as is corn. The
deep, extremely fine silly soils typical
of the Kula and Walkee regions are
remarkably we'll adapted to the corn
plant. In the former locality large
crops of corn have been produced LOT
more than 80 years without fert1llzer
and the only rotation ever practlseo
is an early and late crop Of potatoes
with intercroppings of potatoes anu
beans, all within the same year. But
no soils can hold up under these In
cessant drains and soon there must
come an awakening if it is not already
there. We have little question but
that a rational system OF green-manur'
ing and fertilization would result IN
a material increase of yields and
larger profits. But more especially
would it build up a reserve fertility
without which there can be no per
agriculture. The Hawaii tx
pertinent Station through its extension
division is anxious to lend every pos
sible aid, especially in fundamental
agricultural problems of this sort. In
the every day praCtises of the field,
the wideaWake farmer will teach the
experiment station many lessons, thus
in fullest measure for
any aid We may be able to give 1t
is this sort Of cooperation that must
accomplish much towards a better
agriculture for Hawaii.
After all, the practical man desires
concrete demonstrations. and for such
The Hawaii Experiment Station has
the demonstration work
at Haiku We have had much to learn
over our mainland experiences and it
has taken almost four years to dem
onstrate the possibilities of the hun
1red bushel crop After the thing has
like setting an egg on end
It was all simple enough. Perhaps
we can do no better at this point than
% describe in some detail how the