GROWING SUGAR CANE IN HAWAII. 



[Extract from a report on the agricultural resources and capabilities of Hawaii, by William C. 

 Stubbs, Ph. D., published in Bulletin No. 95, United States Department of Agriculture, Office of 

 Experiment Stations.] 



The dominant crop in Hawaii is sugar. * * * Few places in the islands 

 where cane can be grown at all will yield less than 30 to 40 tons per acre * * *. 



The table-lands surrounding the Islands at elevations of from 20 to 500 feet con- 

 stitute the chief sugar areas. * There are about 60 plantations on the 

 Islands, which yielded in 1898-1899 about 300,000 tons of sugar. These planta- 

 tions have about 100,000 acres in cane, one-half of which is harvested every year. 

 Under irrigation as much as lO 1 ^ tons of sugar per acre has been the 

 average of one plantation * * . 



Table showing expenses per ton of sugar yroivn, and per acre. 



Plant cane : 



Total yield of cane (tons) 117,835 



Yield of cane per acre (tons) 78.9 



Purity of juice (per cent) 87.07 



Amount of cane required to produce 1 ton of sugar (tons) 7.71 



Total production of sugar (tons) 15,289.5 



Yield sugar per acre (tons) 10.24 



On the leeward side of the Islands, where irrigation is practiced, the land is 

 broken with steam plows to a great depth. Rows are laid off at 5-foot intervals 

 with very deep double-mold-board plows. Into these deep furrows the tops of the 

 cane are dropped in a continuous row, the soil is drawn in lightly with hoes, and 

 a shallow stream of water sent over the buried tops. In six to seven days a con- 

 tinuous stand of young canes is obtained. For the purpose of economizing water 

 the rows are laid off as nearly on a level as possible, and an open furrow for irri- 

 gating is maintained during, growth. After each irrigation, hoes draw in from the 

 adjoining ridges small quantities of soil in order to conserve the moisture applied. 

 Save irrigation and its incident hoe work and the trashing of cane, no other cul- 

 tivation is given. A contract is usually made with a head Chinaman to irrigate 

 and trash the cane from planting to harvest at so much per ton of cane harvested. 

 The contract is usually for 100 acres, the company furnishing the water. Con- 

 tracts are also made by the ton for the cutting and delivery of the cane at the 

 sugar house, the company furnishing the cars and engines. The breaking of the 

 land and the planting of the cane is usually done with hired labor. 



On the rainy or windward side of the islands the conditions require entirely 

 different methods from those just described. The lands are broken in a similar , 

 manner but less deeply, and the tops are planted in an open furrow and covered. I 

 When the plants are large enough, the work of cultivation begins, which is usually 

 done with plows, cultivators and hoes. This cultivation is continued until the 

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