Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station, 



HONOLULU. 



J. G. SMITH, Special Agent in Charge. 



PRESS BULLETIN No. 12. 



TOBACCO EXPERIMENTS IN HAMAKUA, HAWAII. 



INTRODUCTION. 



In the Autumn of 1903, a co-operative experiment was ar- 

 ranged under the joint auspices of the Territorial Board of Com- 

 missioners of Agriculture and Forestry and the Hawaii Agricul- 

 tural Experiment Station, for the purpose of demonstrating the 

 practicability of growing the best grades of cigar tobacco in 

 Hawaii. 



An examination of sites was made by Mr. F. E. Conter, a Spe- 

 cial Agent, who, in the beginning, had charge of the work. Mr. 

 Conter visited the Puna, Hilo, Hamakua and Kona Districts of 

 the island of Hawaii and finally selected a small tract on the 

 Louisson Brothers' Plantation on the lands of Pohakea, Hama- 

 kua. A lease of 2 1-2 acres of the land was secured in the name 

 of the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, at the nomi- 

 nal rental of Five Dollars per annum. Special privileges were 

 granted by the owners of the land, who have assisted the enter- 

 prise in every way in their power. The land was new and un- 

 cultivated, so that a delav of some months ensued before the 

 field could be made ready for planting. The first crop was trans- 

 planted to the experimental plots in March and April, 1904. 



The experimental tobacco field was located in Hamakua because 

 the physical character of the soil was right to produce a good 

 quality of crop. The Pohakea Homestead lands were suitable, 

 available and convenient. There are other areas in Puna, Kau 

 and Kona on Hawaii and on each of the other Islands of the 



