The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-05-11
From the Genesee Farmer. tfFf
LETTER FROM THE SANDWICH Is
LANDS.
HONOLULU HOUSE, Oct. 25, IS4s.

your paper since You were KIND enough W
put my name 90 your list, more than year
since. Be assured, though the climate and
soil OF the Sandwich Islands is so different
from your latitude, as to render inapPllcable
many Of the valuable suggestions i contains,
find much in il that, by analogy, can pc
made useful 10 the horticulturlst and agricul-
turist Of this region As yet, have not, OF
course, been able to experiment in any ofths
departments Of cultivating the soil, but hope
within few years to demonstrate that bet
ter climate or superior soil does not exist
than can be found on the Hawaiian group ior
the tillers Of the earth.
As vet but little, comparatively nothing,
has been done to develope the resources Of
these Islands Most persons, who have be-
come residents here are either merchants,
seeking their fortunes in commercial opera
tons missionaries, confined by their obliga-
tons to the Board, to other than agricultural
pursuits discharged sailors, who are igno-
rant and inefficient, except upon the ocean
and now and then an Individual Of eXtrava-
CANT habits and crude notions Of the means
necessary to secure efficient labor and render
il productive. The latter class have gencr-
ally been the foreign agriculturists, and their
unsuccessful efforts have tended much to dis
courage others, fitted BY their education and
habits to make the soil productive. The ma
tive population, just emerging from an I'M
civilized and degraded state, It cannot be ex
pected would, as yet, be able TO comprehend
OF execute the plans Of AN intelligent farmer.
Such being The facts, it is not surprising that
the rich resources Of our soil and climate are
as yet undeveloped. II is to be hoped that
the recent discovery Of mineral wealth in
California win attract large, intelligent and
efficient population from the United States
and the Eastern Continent, and that the mar
ket that will be thereby Afforded for the nat
ural products Of this tropical climate, viii in
duce men Of capital, experience and proper
taste, to emigrate here and supply their wants.
l am clearly Of the opinion that more money
is to be made and more happiness secured
by supplying the wants Of the gold-hunters,
than can, or even win be realized by them,
should their golden dreams all be realized
And hope and trust the day Is not far dis
tant when, as a consequence Of the present
mania for The gold-dust Of California, these
Islands shall be rendered the garden Of the
Pacific.
am satisfied from the expensive and in
different experiments that have already been
made, that coffee Of the best quality, equal
TO Mocha sugar unsurpassed in the world !;
oranges, and all Of the tropical fruits, may
be abundantly produced, and at cost that
will compete with the Mexican and South
American provinces Specimens Of most Of
these have seen, and others Of more expe-
rience assure me there can be no question
but they all may be produced at the market
price, with profit. But il cannot be done
without intelligent, industrious and prudent
men to manage and direct the labor Of the
native population we he blessed
with one hundred men, Of the experience
and ability Of the farmers Of New York, who
would seek their fortunes in agricultural and
horticultural pursuits upon these Islands, the
day would be near at hand when they woull
be the West Indies TO that portion Of the
United States West Of the Rocky Noun
tains
AS can say but little concerning the pres
ent state Of agriculture here, make these
general remarks hoping they may direct at
tention 70 the general facts they contain.
The simple wants Of the natives, which
are SO easily supplied, are not calculated to
stimulate them to continued and assiduous
exertion; but the example OF the few for
eigners who have located in their midst al
ready have elevated their tastes end increas-
ed their desire for the comforts and Injuries
Of civilized society; and there are many
striking examples Of thrift and business hab-
it, which warrant the belief that the future
progress Of this nation Is not to be less rapid
in the Improvement Of its business habits,
than ii has been in intellectual and moral
culture, All that is needed now to make
the natives emulous in the cultivation Of the
soil, Is the example of foreigners who are
ready and wiling TO secure their comforts
and pleasures by the sweat Of the brow
am satisfied that many Of the fruits and
products Of your climate NAV be successful
y cultivated here. Peaches have already
been grown, but as they were seedlings, and
proved not to be Of the best qualities, have
heard il repeatedly said they were not worth
cultivation You see, therefore, how impor-
tant il is that the simplest truths in horticul-
tural science should be understood. Patience
and successive attempts to grow peaches
from stones Gas yet the only practical meth
cd hefe,) have no doubt would finally result
IN producing desirable varieties, which might
then be propagated by scions and buds. But
as the first attempt was not satisfactory, lit
tie attention is paid to the subject, and we
are without supply Of that delicious fruit.
SO It has been with many other unsuccess-
ful efforts lnhorticulture- "a single unsuccess-
ful experiment has discouraged second J,
and as we are generally without the Gene
see Farmer, or similar paper to enlighten
the community, as have before suggested,
we are greatly in want Of men TO give
practical illustration Of even the commonly
acknowledged truths that make up the SCI
ence ef agriculture.
With very little cultivation, abundant sup
plies Of sweet and Irish potatoes, beans,