trellises, without pruning, until they attain a length of a 

 hundred feet or more. Obviously, with such neglect, 

 good table fruit cannot be expected; and with the absence 

 of cultivation and insufficient sunlight, the sugar content 

 of the grapes is too low. The only variety of grape grown 

 commercially is the "Isabella." A number of other varie- 

 ties, superior for table purposes, have been tested, and 

 some of them have given good promise. Their cultiva- 

 tion, however, has not been prosecuted in a systematic 

 manner. 



COCOANUT. 



This is perhaps one of the few palms which is indige- 

 nous to the Islands. It was propagated for centuries by 

 the natives, being largely in control of the Chiefs. Some 

 of the cocoanut groves, which are now conspicuous 

 features of our landscape, are an inheritance from olden 

 times. Since 1904, there has been a new interest in the 

 planting of cocoanuts, and plantations of this nut are 

 being increased on all of the islands. The cocoanut is 

 one of the most ornamental of tropical trees and should 

 ultimately constitute a fringe along the shore-line of our 

 Islands. At least one company is going into the business 

 of raising cocoanuts on a large scale. This seems to be 

 a far-sighted policy, and might well be imitated by others 

 who have interest in other things, and who can wait for 

 the maturing of their plantations. 



There is an increasing demand for the products ob- 

 tained from the cocoanut. Cocoanut oil and butter every- 

 where find a ready market. The by-product, obtained 

 from the manufacture of cocoanut oil, (and known as 

 cocoanut meal), is valued as a concentrated stock feed 

 and also as a fertilizer. The coir fiber obtained from the 

 husks, is extensively used for cordage, matting and simi- 

 lar purposes; while the consumption of the dried meat 

 of the cocoanut, or "copra," is increasing. The cocoanut 

 seems to require fertile soil, good drainage and the pre- 

 valence of winds. In some of our plantations the trees 

 are too close. The planting distance should be not less 

 than thirty feet each way. While our climate is not 

 strictly tropical, but rather sub-tropical, the yield of nuts 

 is nevertheless satisfactory, varying from twelve to 250 

 nuts annually per tree, or about 12,000 nuts per acre. 

 There is, of course, a long period to wait for income from 

 plantations of cocoanuts; but after they once come into 



