10 THE SUGAR-CANE INSECTS OF HAWATITI. 
The plant crop is taken off 20 to 22 months from the time of plant- 
ing, and the first ratoon or stubble is harvested 18 to 20 months 
later. The second ratoon usually goes 18 months again before 
it is ground. Sometimes a “short ratoon”’ crop is made, in which 
case the cane runs about 14 months. The time given for growth 
depends on the maturity of the cane, which in turn is governed by 
the location and altitude of the land. To some extent also the time 
of harvest is governed by the labor supply, factory conveniences for 
taking off and grinding the crop, and the need of land for planting. 
The sugar industry in Hawaii was placed on a basis to insure its 
becoming the leading industry by the reciprocity treaty of 1876 
between the United States and the Hawaiian Government, the latter 
at that time being an independent monarchy. The effect of this 
treaty in removing the duty on raw sugar exported to the United 
States was to increase American influence in the islands and to 
strengthen the commercial relations between the two countries. A 
second great factor fn the development of the sugar industry was the 
annexation of the islands as a Territory of the United States by an 
act of Congress passed July 7, 1898, by mutual agreement between 
the two countries, Hawaii at that time having overthrown the mon- 
archy and become a republic. Annexation insured a free and pro- 
tected market to the sugar output of the islands and gave confidence 
for the investment of capital. This is of prime importance, as the 
production of sugar in the islands.is on a corporation basis and any 
disturbance in the market is felt at once by every plantation in the 
Territory. 
Fundamental factors that have attended the development of the 
sugar industry are the equable climate of the islands, the natural 
productiveness of the soil, the resources of water for irrigation pur- 
poses, and the immunity from the more serious depredations by 
insects and diseases that retard the development of agricultural 
resources in less fortunate parts of the world. Further, there is to 
be found in Hawaii a class of progressive business men who have 
developed immense irrigation schemes, made use of the most modern 
agricultural and factory machinery, inaugurated advanced methods 
of cultivation, fertilization, and irrigation, and united their interests 
in a cooperative association. 
This organization, the Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association, has, 
since April, 1895, maintained a private experiment station, where 
important researches have been made and valuable results obtained. 
The work has applied to varieties and seedlings, propagation, culti- 
vation, irrigation, the use of fertilizers, and the manufacture of 
sugar. These investigations, together with the perfection of factory 
methods and field machinery, have brought the sugar industry of 
the islands to the high standard it holds among the sugar-producing 
countries of the world. 
