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bility of obtaining labor at any price within the bounds of reason, to save our plantations from ruin. This question engaged our minds and time, and various means for obtaining the desired end were discussed by the society. The importation of coolies from China appeared the most feasible of these means, from our proximity to that country and the readiness with which laborers could be obtained from its redundant population. Your committee were chosen by the society to carry their views into effect, and they lost no time in endeavoring to do so. That the result of their efforts has been so unfortunate a failure, cannot be too deeply deplored, but your committee feel that the failure of the attempt is not in any way attributable to mismanagement on their part. The measures taken by your committee were so taken with the concurrence of the members of the society who were interested in the matter. And this is the history of the matter.

A contract was entered into in the month of Sept. 1850, with G. F. Hubertson, Esq., a merchant recently established here, (who had resided in China, and was supposed to be by far the best person with whom to make the contract, from his experience in the matter, and his facilities,) for the importation of two hundred Chinese coolies. The charge for passage for each coolie was fifty dollars, which with the advances to be made to each, on shipping them, and a years' supply of rice for consumption here, made the sum about $71 that each coolie would cost delivered here, of which two month's advance wages formed a part. The men were to be engaged for five years. To secure dispatch in this matter between nine and ten thousand dollars, or nearly two thirds of the whole amount was advanced to Mr. Hubertson to meet the ship's disbursements in China and the necessary expenses of shipping the coolies. The ship Amazon, belonging to Mr. Hubertson, sailed on the and your committee believed that a successful commencement had been made of the great work of supplying the islands with laborers, whose brawny arms should lay open to them the wealth now buried in its soil. But we were sadly disappointed. The Amazon arrived in China, and the coolies, we learn were engaged, but after waiting in vain for her return with the much needed freight, a rumor has reached us that the vessel has been sold and the voyage abandoned. The reasons for this disastrous result have not been made known to us, and in the absence of Mr. Hubertson we must probably for the present remain in ignorance of them.

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Arrangements have since been made by members of this society to procure coolies, with Capt. John Cass of Ship Thetis, which vessel sailed yesterday for Amoy, for that purpose. This new enterprise your committee believe will be successful, and that we shall soon be able to try an experiment, the success of which will remove the grand obstacle to our agricultural progress and success.

All which is respectfully submitted.

Honolulu, Aug. 13th, 1851.

J. F. B. MARSHALL, Chairman.

TO STEPHEN REYNOLDS, Esq.

REPORT ON SEASONS--HAWAIIAN SEASONS.

The seasons for agricultural purposes, so far as kalo and sweet potatoes and melons are concerned, are probably as well understood by intelligent natives at the present time as they ever will be. But the cultivation of almost every recently imported plant is as yet a matter of experiment, and must require experiments not a few to bring out satisfactory results that shall decide the proper time for planting the same. So that your committee in their present report only expect to throw out suggestions and make statements such as are the result of the few observations and enquiries which they have been able to make.

Messrs. Green of Makawao, Bond of Kohala, and Smith of Koloa have each furnished me with observations and remarks which will be used freely in this report.

As to the importance of our subject; we would remark that many disappointments have already been experienced by those who have attempted to cultivate the soil at these islands, from the fact that they put their seed into the ground at the wrong time. The resident on the hills of New England watches the opening spring, the dissolving snow, the swelling bud, the opening leaf and flower, to indicate the season when to plant and sow his seed. But such indications of seed time are here unknown. The mildews and frosts and snows so fearful

to the northern planter are never experienced between the tropics, and the New Englander naturally concludes that on the windward sides of our islands, and on the high table lands, where there is plenty of rain the year round, all the agriculturist has to do is to plant and sow and gather in his crops irrespective of times or seasons. The idea also is common among new comers into these islands, that where irrigation can be practised no regard need be paid to the season.

But such, your committee think, will be found, to a great extent, the result of mistaken notions; as it has repeatedly been the occasion of sad disappointments.

Solomon the most scientific herbarian of ancient times says: "To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the sun." With whatever latitude or restriction this passage of Sacred Writ may be interpreted in morals, every practical cultivator of the soil at these islands, will we think, agree that it has an unmistakeable meaning in Agriculture. Every plant, to be brought to its highest perfection, must be indulged in a greater or less degree of conformity to its season.

Our next enquiry is :-What constitutes a Hawaiian season?

The general division into wet and dry months furnishes one important clue to Hawaiian seasons. The rainy months in the islands generally are from October to April, seven in number. Although frequently little or no rain falls either in October, November, or April. The wet season varies somewhat in different years and in different islands, but not generally very much.

But the time for planting the same articles in different soils, and different localities varies somewhat widely. And in respect to these planting seasons is the main field for enquiry before us.

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Not only is the rainy season to be consulted, but the natural moisture of the soil, its elevation, its position on a northern or southern slope of a hill, especially the side of a pali. Many crops may be delayed a month or two in places where irrigation can be practiced. the windward coasts, especially near the sea, the seasons of high surf, when the salt spray sweeps over the coast with the power of a destructive frost, must be consulted and avoided. During that season corn, beans, potatoes, &c., if planted in exposed situations are sure of

destruction. In many places the season for the caterpillar and the grub-worm must be consulted. Natives on Oahu rarely think of planting potatoes, corn, beans, &c., until the season for those verinin has passed.

But to make ourselves better understood we will give our views of the time most suitable for the planting of different kinds of articles in different kinds of soil.

1st. INDIAN CORN.-In a dry soil, that cannot be irrigated, let this article be planted as soon after the commencement of the rains as may be, yet not earlier than November. It will then be out of the way of the caterpillar and grub, and will be likely to ripen well in the early part of the dry season. If planted before November or December, it may suffer from ripening in the rainy months. In a wet soil or on the northern slope of a mountain or pali, or in situations where the crop can be irrigated if need be, just before it is ripe, it may be well to delay planting corn till after the season for the caterpillar has gone past. December and January are the months in which these vermin are generally most destructive to plants.

The above remarks will apply to melons and squashes as well as to

corn.

Corn or melons planted in a damp soil or in cloudy situations in the month of October or November will not do well. A field thus planted by Mr. Gulick, in Kamananui, Waialua, the past year, both of corn and melons grew beautifully till about the time for fruit to appear, when the corn shot forth very meagre ears, and did not fill out very well; a very ordinary crop was realized. The melons were of poor flavor, and less profitable than if planted later.

On East Maui, Makawao and Hamakua, corn does well, if planted as late as March or April; owing doubtless to the damp and cloudy situation of those places, while at Kaupo, on the opposite side of the mountain, planting time should be at least two months earlier, or the crops will dry up before they ripen.

Wheat generally does best if planted at the same time that suits the corn crop. It will not stand drouth as well as corn, and as its period for coming to perfection is about three months, i. e., one month less than corn, it escapes that evil if planted at the same time, which suits the corn crop.

IRISH POTATOES.-For these, it is said there are two seasons on East Maui, the fall and spring. But doubtless the time for planting is regulated more by the desire of the planter to suit his crop to the shipping season than by the nature of the plant itself.

On Oahu and Kauai the results of several experiments go to show that the Irish potato yields the best crop, if planted soon after the setting in of the rainy season or the early fall rains.

This crop may be raised on all the islands if the right soil and season are sought for the purpose, and suitable pains taken in the cultivation.

The sweet potato has been rarely cultivated advantageously at the islands, by foreigners. It has its seasons, and requires a suitable soil and appropriate cultivation. Many a field has been planted, without any returns to the planter. The field was planted too late, or too early; it was irrigated too much or too little; the earth was left hard and baked around the roots of the plant; or the field was suffered to run to vines only.

All of these points must be understood by the man interested in the crop, or a failure may be expected. But to be more particular. We know of no place where it is suitable to plant the sweet potato in June, July or August. Indeed we know of nothing that can profitably be planted in those three months except sugar cane.

On light plain land the sweet potato may ordinarily be planted soon after the commencement of the fall rains, but where irrigation can be practiced, a delay of one, two or three months may be well.

On the north side of a deep ravine the potato is planted early; on the south side it is planted by the natives two or three months later, say in February or March.

The sweet potato does best on a light porous soil. On a clayey soil which bakes and cracks, the potato on Oahu becomes what the natives call pakika, a disease which, so far as I know, has no name in English; but the disease, if existing in the cooked potato, is easily detected when on the table, both from its offensive smell and taste. This disease which it would be well for some scientific man to investigate, is said to have had no existence on the island of Hawaii fifteen or sixteen years since. The natives attribute it to the influence of a fly upon the potato.

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