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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



[April i, 1884. 



to whom houour is due. Barou Mueller has not given me 

 any honour. ' I believe I am the first person to report the 

 (liscoverj-, through the press, of the thurapeutic propert- 

 ies anil hyyienio value of the eucalyptus. It is for Baron 

 Mueller or others who may think proper to show to the 

 contrary — point out to us the history of such a case, or 

 when the eucalyptus was ever used prior to the case of 

 " spear wound " which was reported by me in the xV. ^. JF. 

 Medical O'tucttt;. M^ould tiie question, I ask, have received 

 the same amount of notice this day at the hands of 

 Barou Mueller or others but, probably, for the trouble 1 

 took, twenty years ago, in watching this important and 

 most remarkable case, and the mauy miles I had to ride to 

 and fro in order to do so ? 



The importance of the matter is pleaded as my excuse 

 for trespassing on your valuable space. — Tour.s, Ice, 



Molong, January 24. " Andbew Boss, m.d. 



SUGAR 0&.NE CDLTIVATIOX IN HAWAII. 



(From the Fiji Times.) 



The following report on tbe above subject has been 

 submitted to the Hawaii.in " Planters' Labor and Supply 

 C'ompany," by the committee for that purpose appointed : — 



The most casual observer who visits our plantations 

 will not fail to notice a decided improvement in the 

 present moik- of cane cultivation, as compared with what 

 it was a few years ago, or with what it uow is in most 

 sugar-cane countries. This improvement cousists in a 

 better preparation of the soil, and greater care in plant- 

 ing and in cultivation of the young caue; or, in other 

 words, more thorough p!on-ing, closer planting of the 

 seed, and constant use of the hand and horse hoes. 

 AN'hen these essential points are well attended to, and 

 where water for irrigation is abuudant, paying crops can 

 be regularly harvested from year to j'ear. 



But all our plantations are not equally favored in this 

 resjxict. At least one-lialf of them liave to dqiend solely 

 on rain to mature their crops. Were the rain more evenly 

 distributed throughout the year, falling as copiously iii 

 the warm months, when the cane grows most rapidly, 

 and needs it most — as it does in Mauritius and other 

 more favored countries — our largest island of' Hawaii might 

 produce twice or three times what it now yiehls. 



Aside from this irregularity in the rains, planters have 

 another disadvantage to contend with ; that most of our 

 winter rains come in torrents, carrying to sea the rich 

 surface soil, leaving little el.se for the roots of the young 

 cane to -subsist on I)ut the liard red sub-soil, which the 

 plow has never disturbed. This will account for the poor 

 crops on many fields tliat have had as thorough cultiva- 

 tion, and ns much work bestowed on them a,s others which 

 have given far better returns, with regular ainl abund- 

 ant irrigation, Kor this ri;ason it may be best to re-plow 

 and re-plant after each crop is harvested, especially where 

 the cane is gromng on hilly or .sloping land, liable to wash 

 ill heavy rains. The re-planting of a field need not cause a 

 loss of more than three or four months for two plowings 

 and xdauting attended with an outlay of twenty to twenty- 

 live dollars per acre more than the cultivation of the rattoous 

 would have called for. But it leaves the soil in first-class 

 e(mditiou, and en.sures a full crop of plant-cane in lieu of a 

 doubtful rattoon crop. 



in some faw localities, rattoon crojjs can be relied on in 

 districis watered only by the raius, as well as in irrigated 

 iields. The.se localities consist generally of the Hat or bottom 

 lands that rociive tin; wash from the hills, and consequently 

 consist of deeper and richer soil that retains its moisture. 

 WaiUiku.Waihee anil Hana, on Maui,; JJaalehn on Hawaii, 

 and Kekaha on Kauai (not to instance other places), have 

 produced as heavy rattoon cropsas the plant-cane. ]>ut of the 

 value of rattooiiing, each planter mu.stbe the judge aftiT fair 

 tri.ils. As a rule, we recommend replanting after every field 

 of plant-cane has been harvested. 



In the opiningpar,agrnphof this report, reference was made 

 to a noticeable' improvement in the cultivation of cane, and the 

 l!hairmaii of your Oonunittee rnay be pardoned for instancing 

 several plantations Avhich be has visit il d-iriug tlie present 

 yrar, which afford proof of this fact, though there may be 

 others equally deserving o'' notice. C-)u the P.%auilo, H.ama- 

 kua, plantation oF Charb'S Xotcly, .are two fielii.s plowed by a 

 steamer, and plaiitcil \nth white Lahaiua or Tahitiau cane. 



iu rows 5§ feet apart, with fho plants averaging from 2 to 3 

 feet apart in the rows. One field of 90 acres below the road 

 and the other of 120 acres above the road— but partieulaily 

 the latter field — jireseuted an appearance which it would 

 be hard to surjiass, though it may have been 

 equalled by a field of 117 acres on the plantation of Messrs. 

 Alexander and Balwin, at Paia, on Maui, both of which are 

 equally luxuriant and handsome, and give jnomise of 

 extraordinary returns. At Xaalehu, Kau, the experiment 

 is being made of planting very close — the rows less tlinu 

 feet apart — and continues rows of seeds or plants. Some 

 of these fields are remarkably fine in appearance, and will 

 yield a heavy crop. All of the fields noticed above are of 

 the growing crop, to be harvested the coming winter or 

 spring. Among the fields harvested this last season, the 

 Grove Pianch on Mau and the ICehaha on Kauai, have given 

 large returns, the plant-cane on each having yieled b'^ tons 

 to the acre. Notwithstanding these exceptional cases, the 

 average yield for the whole group for the past season is 

 under 3 tons to the acre, as will be seen from statistics 

 presented hereafter. 



Bespectiug the effect of periodical droughts, Jlr. \V. H. 

 Eickard, of Honokaa, Hawaii, writes: — 



" You will ob.serve that the yield from our plant crop is 

 low, _which is, no doubt, the result of the long drought 

 that prevailed in our district when the canes were 

 young, and from which effects it never fully recovered, 

 although favored with rain at later dates. 



" Wc find from past and long experience that all canes, 

 if checked by drought when very young and tender, never 

 fully recover from the effects, even if the weather should 

 afterward prove favorable. 



" We find, on the contrary, that if our young plant crops 

 get a good start, we are theu very likely to have a good 

 yield — at least a fair yield. 



"We calculate, with favorable, ordinary Hamakua 

 weather, on getting four tons from our plant crops, which 

 take from eighteen to twenty-four months to mature, piaiit- 

 iug generally iu May, June and July, according to elevation 

 of land. 



*' Up to the present time, we have used no manures, 

 as we have had new lands. But we notice that canes on 

 lands that have been planted before do not yield so well 

 as iu the first planting, which means that we shall be 

 obliged to manure eventually in order to keci> uj) our 

 yield. 



" And then planting in proper seasou, and taking off 

 the crops in proper season, have a, great deal to do with 

 the yield per acre, as well as thorough cultivation of the 

 crops; and also proper care in planting, getting the lands 

 evenly planted, and proper cutting of the crops, not. ? iv-- 

 iug short stumps of the best of the cane standing in •'■o 

 field, which noi only tends to lessen the fii'st yield, but 

 affects the rattoon crops." 



Kespecting the durability of soil, Mr. A. Uuna, of 

 liana, furnishes the following interesting information : — 

 " In order to give you an idea of the durability of our 

 soil here, I would state that ground was first bi oken bi-re 

 for a plantation in September. 1861, when Mr. 'W. Need- 

 ham planted forty-five acres of cane. In l.^G'2 a lot more 

 of cane was planted, and with an iulermis.sion of three 

 to four year's rest, tho .same ground has been planted all 

 along until uow. In spots le.ss productive some rotteu 

 rind, ashes, or a mixtiure of mule-dung and cane-tops 

 (rotten) have occasionally been applied, but no regular 

 manuring has ever been used. InDeccmoer, January,:ind 

 February last we took off" a crop of plant-cane fi-om 77 

 acres (measured) of this, the oldest and most used, land 

 belonging to the plantation, and it yielded 054;!'*i5 lb., or 

 8,505 lb per acre. This land is stony, but plowable ; the 

 soil is black; and not inclined to jiacking. There is consider- 

 able difference in our soil here, and therefore tin: same 

 results e;innot be expected everywhere in this district. 

 The frequent rains, followed up by a hot suu, cause 

 both r.apid growth and decay. Keturning to the soil, a 

 part of what is produced helps to preserve its strength 

 for a number of years. 



Thorough plowing is a very impoi'tant matter, without 

 which good crtipsc.-umot lie produced." 



Mr. A. H. Smith, of Grove lUuch plantation, Maui, 

 comnimunicates the following : 

 " The subject of cultivation, as to time of planting. 



