The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1918-06-21
Chile l. One Hole
Of Planters
To Get Fertilizer
If Substitute Were eVaiIabls
There Are No Ships 4pstlable
To Bring It Here In Quantities
That Are Required

! In order to keep up maximum speed
in production Of sugar, an essential for
, the country and the world in times Of
war IA well as times Of peace, the plan
tatiOns of these Islands require q min
imum of 5000 tons monthly. The only
suitable fertilizer that can readily he
made available is Chilean nitrltos.
| These are two of the outstanding facts
that were placed before Secretary
Lane and the Hawaiian Planters As.
ISOLATION experiment station on We'd
mesday by trustees Of the planters as
sOciatiOn. 1t is not within the prov
ince Of the secretary's department to
afford the planters, any relief from the
shortage of Fertilizer supply but he is
/ the representative, of the administrn
ton, the production Of the soil is close
ly related TO the land questions which
Secretary Lane il here to Investigate
and it ia believed that he can be, and
gladly win be, Spokesman for them
at Washington when the opportunity
Two 20 B sss kSsOOxa
1t has been found that Chilean nj,
trates and splphnric ammonia are the
two fertiliaers that bring best results
in these Islands, Both, of them are
quick Of action and easily applied, Of
ten if not usually applied through the
irrigation water, Thus they can be
put on At the time when they are need,
ed to speed up the growth OF the cane
and to bring; about growth at just
the time, when 1t Is required. No 9th
r fertilizers have been found that
will perform this service as do these
two.
Sulphufic ammonia has been found
to work better than nitrates in some
sections, more, especially in the Hilo
district, than does nitrate. A sufficient
supply of either would answer and the
Secretary was shown that the supply
Of the two combined is less than the
requirements OF q single month and the
season is at, hand when it Is required.
Cannot Get Substitutes
Were it possible to secure a substi
tute, even II il were less satisfactory,
the planters would do so and make
the best of IL but II was, pointed out
to Secretary Lane that the shortage Of
ships between the mainland and here
renders it impossible to bring supplies
If another fertilizer to replace the nj
trates. The sulphuric ammonia is oh
tanned chiefly from the iron and steel
manufacturers of the mainland as
by product of their outputs and as
the government is all but running these
factories and nee Is sulphur as well as
inter for munltl"n purpose. there is
~" a, rquate supply ol +? NJ Vie and no
~ to bring it here if 4 wee.
Cile Ore S9Tr
Thus it rowrr lo'"n hat nitrates
ON Chill" ir""t IS n" hOrr of the
printers. In this connection there is
IN interesting story that has recently
cen heard. 1t is said that a certain
fertilizer r"mpanv sought licenses for
shipments from Chile here and was in.
formed that there would be no obi
non I" m" granting of the license or
permit hut that no ships were avail
able. If there were ships the com
pany GOULD secure the shipments. So,
the story goes the company went out
and bnplly secured two cargo carriers
| and applied for permits for shipment
| on them. The prints were not grant
ed for the government took the vessels
to carry mtrates for its own use.
As has been outlined before in The
Advertiser, the government needs inter
and sulphur for munition manufac.
turr and ruu obtain the one from nj
rrat"s and the other from sulphuric
ammonia. Hawaii needs them to grow
sugar. The government seems to be
regarding the need for munitions as
! greater than the need for sugar even
at the sacrifice of third or more of a
crop Of Hawaiian sugar.