EDIBLE CANNA IN WAIMEA DISTRICT OF HAWAII / 
sufficient vegetables, a large part of the good land has been turned back 
to pasture, and agriculture in the district is at a low ebb. What 
Waimea needs is a stable field crop which can be grown throughout 
the year and readily converted into cash. Edible canna would seem 
to meet this need provided the crop can be utilized as a commercial 
source of starch. 
ADAPTATION OF EDIBLE CANNA TO WAIMEA 
Of all the places in Hawaii where edible canna has been observed, 
Waimea seems to be the most nearly ideal for the crop. Observations 
on small plantings showed that while the crop yielded as well as other 
starch crops at the lower levels, it made outstandingly high yields 
only at the higher altitudes. Dry, windy areas caused the succulent 
tops to shrivel prematurely, and alternately wet and dry conditions 
resulted in stunted stalks and rootstocks. Under conditions of exces- 
sive moisture the crop produced vigorous top growth, but stunted 
rootstocks. At Waimea growth proceeds notwithstanding such 
adverse conditions as high winds and protracted periods of cool, cloudy 
weather which seriously affect other crops, and the plant becomes 
luxuriant with the return of favorable conditions. The stalk grows 
12 feet high at Waimea, whereas it seldom exceeds 6 or 8 feet in most 
other places. The stem is proportionately greater in diameter at 
Waimea, and the rootstock greatly surpasses in size and yield any 
grown at the lower levels. 
In a recent publication (9) the top growth of edible canna was shown 
to live longer at Waimea than at the central station in Honolulu. The 
vigor and longevity of the maximum period of activity of the mature 
top is thought to be one of the chief causes of the increased growth 
made by the plant at Waimea. The temperature, dews, mists, and 
light rains of the region are especially favorable to the crop. The 
ill effects of strong winds — probably the only serious drawback to the 
crop — can be overcome by growing windbreaks. Edible canna is 
adapted to small -farrning methods, and weeding and cultivating — 
the greatest single expenses in growing the crop — can be done by 
members of the family of the grower. No elaborate machinery is 
required either for preparing the land or for planting and cultivating 
the crop. 
FIELD PRACTICES 
Edible canna has not been grown at Waimea sufficiently long to 
warrant definite conclusions as to the best agricultural practices with 
the crop. Climatic and soil conditions are such as to make possible 
the planting of corn and potatoes every month of the year, although 
February and August are regarded as the most favorable months for 
planting. Edible canna plantings of different seasons have shown no 
outstanding differences in growth. The scheme of continuous plant- 
ing and harvesting has its advantages since it permits the most eco- 
nomical utilization of labor and equipment during the entire process 
of field production and manufacture of starch. Before such a plan 
is established on a large scale, however, experiments should be made 
to determine the correlation of season of planting to yields. 
When the crop is to be grown on land that has been in pasture the 
heavy sod should be broken. The general practice is to plow to a 
depth of 6 or 7 inches, then work the soil down with a disk harrow, 
and allow it to stand until the sod begins to rot and new shoots appear. 
