OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIOKS. 699 



HAWAII STATION. 



Several changes in the personnel of the station have taken place 

 during the year. Mr. F. G. Kraiiss, for five years agi'onomist of 

 the station, resigned, and Mr. C. K. McClelland, formerly with the 

 Office of Farm Management of this department, was appointed in his 

 place. Mr. W. T. McGeorge was appointed assistant chemist on 

 certification from the Civil Service Commission. Miss Alice R. 

 Thompson, assistant chemist, was away from the station on furlough 

 and spent the year in advanced study at Columbia University and 

 elsewhere. Mr. D. T. Fullaway, entomologist of the station, was 

 temporarily transferred to the Guam Station late in the fiscal year. 



The new office and library building provided for from Territorial 

 funds has been occupied and the oM one has been made over into 

 laboratories. 



The investigations outlined in previous reports have been continued 

 and a number of new ones have been begun. The work with cotton 

 continues to attract favorable attention, and it would seem that the 

 profitableness of this new agricultural industry has been demon- 

 strated. The climatic conditions most favorable for cotton in Hawaii 

 are fairly well known. It thrives best and makes the largest yield 

 on low lands and in places protected from strong winds. The plants 

 are grown as perennials, and as small trees bear 600 to 1,000 bolls 

 or even more. The quality of lint is high; recent quotations on 

 samples submitted to buyers were 20 cents per pound for Caravonica, 

 40 cents per pound for " Sea Island," and 28 cents for " Sunflower," 

 iin upland cotton, the staple of which averages If inches in length. 

 Experiments have shown the possibility of controlling the Indian 

 cotton boll worm to a great extent by pruning the trees and promptly 

 burning the cuttings at the end of the picking season. 



The Japanese rices imported by the station have been successfully'' 

 grown and samples submitted to rice consumers have been j^ro- 

 iiounced equal in quality to the imported Japanese rice. The im- 

 portance of this introduction is apparent, when it is shown that one- 

 half to 1 cent per pound more is paid for Japanese than for other 

 rice. The experimeiits with fertilizing rice have shown definitely 

 that the fertilizer should be applied before the rice is planted, and 

 that as a source of nitrogen, ammonium sulphate or an organic fer- 

 tilizer is better than nitrate of soda. In a similar manner, it has 

 been shown that the fertilization of taro should be the same as for 

 rice, and the thorough drying and aeration of the soil between crops, 

 together with proper fertilizing, was found to prevent taro rot. 

 The results obtained by the station in these experiments with rice 

 and taro have been put in practice by many small planters in their 

 operations. 



In continuation of the work with pineapples, it has been shown 

 that the chief difficulties with this crop are due to a lack of drainage, 

 and in certain restricted localities to too much manganese in the soils. 

 It has also been found that pineapples can be profitably grown in 

 Hawaii with less rainfall than has hitherto been thought necessary. 



^Experiments with broom corn at the station were so successful 

 that this crop is being planted to some extent and a broom factory 

 has been established in Honolulu. The quality of the brush thus far 



