138 TUTTLE ENGINEERING NOTES ON HAWAII. 



About one-half the area is approximately evenly divided between the 

 Islands of Kauai, Oahu and Maui, and the remaining half is on 

 Hawaii. Nine of the plantations are located on Kauai, 9 on Oahu, 11 

 on Maui, and 26 on Hawaii. Nine of the number are owned by indi- 

 viduals, and probably have a value of over $2 000 000; the remaining 

 46 are controlled by companies, and are capitalized for $113 490 500, 

 of which amount $68 394 500 has been paid in. 



The stock investment in plantations in the various islands, not 

 including the value of those not incorporated, is as follows: 



Kauai. : 810,125,000 



Oahu 19,302,000 



Maui 23,527,500 



Hawaii 15,440,000 



As plantations are developed, the acreage is increased from year to 

 year, until all of the adjoining land which is suitable for cane cultiva- 

 tion has been brought into requisition; some of the younger planta- 

 tions have prepared plans for immense additions, and in a few years 

 will probably be larger than any now existing. 



The growing season for a crop of sugar cane in Hawaii has a dura- 

 tion of 18 months, and the planting season begins in July; a single 

 rattoon or second crop is usually raised from the same seed, and then 

 the land is left for a time to fallow. 



By reason of more suitable temperature and richer soil the cane 

 thrives best near sea level, and most of the plantation lands are under 

 1 500 ft. in elevation, the highest reaching up to 2 800 ft. It has been 

 commonly assumed in Hawaii that a crop requires an irrigation water 

 supply at the rate of 1 000 000 galls, per 100 acres per day (correspond- 

 ing with a rainfall of 134 ins. per annum) during the period of maximum 

 growth, which is also coincident with the season of minimum rainfall; 

 this estimate is believed by the writer to be over- liberal and to include 

 a large percentage of leakage through ditches in a porous formation. 

 Practically all of the cane grown in Kauai, Oahu and Maui is irrigated 

 more or less abundantly, while in Hawaii irrigation is extensively 

 resorted to on only one plantation; on the latter island, the writer 

 is informed that a rainfall of 65 ins. well distributed through the year 

 is all that is required to produce a fair crop, although bv no means as 

 great as when irrigation is used. The lack of development of irriga- 



