THE MACADAMIA NUT IN HAWAII 
13 
Hawaii indicate that a full crop may be expected only after the tree 
has received considerable moisture. Irrigating liberally in basins at, 
least once a month during the drier part of the year has been found to 
be a good practice at the Hoaeae ranch, Waipahu, Oahu, where the 
Robinson brothers have an excellent young Macadamia orchard of 
(Fig. 8.) 
bearing age. 
SOILS 
Eesults of investigation indicate that the Macadamia tree is 
adapted to many kinds of soils. Only in extreme cases, as for ex- 
ample where the soil is practically a loose sand, or very rocky, or an 
exceedingly stiff clay, does the tree fail to grow. Like most other 
Figure 8. — Macadamia orchard at Hoaeae ranch 
cultivated and irrigated by the basin method, 
feet apart each way 
Waipahu, Oahu, which is kept 
The trees are set in rows 30 
trees, however, it thrives best in a rich, deep, and thoroughly under- 
drained soil. Turner (19, p. 1+) observed that some of the trees in 
Australia were fine specimens and produced nuts in abundance al- 
though growing in a very light sandy soil which was fairly rich in 
humus. Those who have studied the Macadamia are of the opinion 
that preparatory to the planting of the trees in orchard form the 
soil should be deeply plowed and otherwise cultivated as is recom- 
mended for other fruit and nut trees. The term deeply plowed has 
a variable meaning in different orchards, particularly those in differ- 
ent localities in Hawaii. In some places the land can not be plowed 
to a depth of more than 8 to 10 inches, whereas in others the land 
may be plowed and subsoiled to a depth of 18 to 24 inches and 
even deeper. On certain sugarcane, pineapple, and banana planta- 
tions in parts of Hawaii, plowing to a depth of 2 feet has been found 
to be very advantageous. Where only shallow plowing can be done 
