126 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



March 



Courtesy U. S. Department of Agricult 



THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IRRIGATED AND UNIRRIGATED SUGAR CANE AT THE HAWAIIAN 



AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



the alkaline matter will also take away 

 soluble soil elements. An insufficient 

 quantity of water, or even a quantity 

 not more than the soil can hold and the 

 plant make use of, will bring the salts 

 to the surface by an upward capillary 

 movement, and conditions of the most 

 unfavorable nature will be brought 

 about and the crop ruined. Soil con- 

 stituents in such areas should be studied 

 and those soluble elements which are 

 carried off by the leaching process, 

 which will keep down the salts, must 

 be restored to the soil or it will soon 

 become sterile. 



Thus it will be seen that while irri- 



gation is the making of the sugar in- 

 dustry of Hawaii, and that irrigated 

 areas are being constantly extended, 

 only the most scientific treatment will 

 give good results, and ignorance of needs 

 and conditions will be a factor to retard 

 full development of the wonderful sugar 

 properties which the islands possess. 

 Special local conditions must be consid- 

 ered in each instance, and with a lim- 

 ited water supply tapped by many wells, 

 as this is, economy of application, pre- 

 vention of waste, and care to forestall 

 over-irrigation will be the only method 

 by which perfect success can possibly be 

 assured. 





