HAWAII expp:kimp:nt station. 403 



ishuuls ill 1 ho racitic and Indian oceans, from Madaoascar to Tahiti. 

 It has lonj^ l)pen in cultivation in Plawaii, ))ut, except on one planta- 

 tion on the island of Hawaii, only as an ornaniental in house 3'ards. 

 It seems to bo extremely \v(dl adapted to cultivation at the lower eleva- 

 tions, helow 1,500 feet, especially on the leeward side of the islands. 

 The princij)al rcnpiisites are a li<;ht soil, iK)rous siilisoil. moist atmos- 

 phere, and i)n)teclioii from slroiij^- wind. The Mowers require hand 

 pollination: otherwise they will not produce fruit. An experiment in 

 curinjr and fermenting" the \aiiilla pods to produce the commercial 

 vanilla was made at the station in the early months of l!>o3. Pods 

 for this purpose were supplied hy Hon. S. M. Damon, of Moanalua, 

 one of the suburbs of Hont)lulu. As a result of this experimcMit in 

 the fermentation of the crop, and also because the vanilla i)lant^-rows 

 so widely and so well from one end of the group to the other, and 

 also liecausc^ the plants now o-rowino- here do not seem to be infected 

 with any of tlu' serious diseases which atl'ect this crop in other coun- 

 tries, the outlook for the cultivation of vanilla on a somewhat extended 

 scale is very bright. The prime requisites to make the cultivation of 

 this cro}) a success are the selection of a suitable location at a low 

 elevation, where there is protection from the full sweep of the trade 

 winds. Constant and careful attention to every detail of cultivation 

 of the i)lants, the pollination of the flowers, and the fermentation of 

 the pods to produce a select iinish(Ml product ready for the market is 

 of even greater ini])ortance. The sole ditt'erence between a crop of 

 vanilla worth Si a pound and one worth from $10 to $15 is the care 

 given to the crop from the time the cuttings are planted until the 

 finished product is marketed. 



SISAL. 



In 1893 the Hawaiian commissioner of agriculture and forestry 

 secured 20.O00 sisal ])lants. which were carefully set out at that time in 

 alarge number of localities throughout the islands. This introduction, 

 and especially the wide dissemination of the plants after the\' reached 

 the islands, ])roved to be of great value. A few^ years after this origi- 

 nal introduction of sisal a plantation for the cultivation of this crop 

 was formed on the island of Oahu. The sisal ])lant grows as well here 

 as anywhere else in the world. It is thus far (Mitirely free from any 

 .serious insect or fungus disease. The <juality of the liber produced is 

 exceptionally good, bringing almost as high a price in the markets of 

 the United States as the hest filx'r imported from Yucatan, This crop 

 is one which may be cultivated ad\antageously on lands which arc 

 extremely dry, although it shows a surprising adaptation to districts 

 where the rainfall is lOn oi" more inches per annum. Nevertheless, 

 the best iilx'r is pi'oduced where tlic plaiils grow within a few miles of 

 the Kona coasts. Coral soils have lieeii considered the best for this 



