The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-01-27
The Sandwich Islands.

The 5000 whites in the Sandwich
Islands, says Mark Twain, handle all
the muneyand carry on all the commerce
and agriculture-and stipefihtcnd the
religion. Americans are largely in the
majority. These whites are sugar.
planters, merchants, whale.ship officers,
and missionaries. The missionaries are
sorry tho most Of the other Whites are
there, and these latter are sorry the
missionaries don't migrate. The most
Of the belt Of sloping land that borders
the sea and rises toward the bases OF
the mountains, Is rich and fertile.
There are only 200, 900 acres of this pro-
ductiye soil, but only think of its ca
pabilities ! III Louisiana, 200, 900 acres
Of sugar land would only yield $4,000
tons OF sugar per annum, and possibly
not so much; but in the Sandwich
Islands you could get at least 100000
tons ont Of II. This is q good, strong
statement, but it is true, nevertheless.
Two and o half tons to the acre is a
common yield in the islands; three and
q half tons is by no means unusual; /;
FIVE tons is frequent; and / can name
the man who took fifty tons Of sugar
from seven ncres OF ground, one season.
This cane WINS on the mountHin-side,
$500 feet above sea level, and 1t took it
three years to mature. Address your
inquiries to Capt. Mckee, Island Of
Mani, $. ]. Few plantations are stuck
up in the air like that, and 40 twelve
months is ample time for the maturing
of cane down there. And I would like
to call attention to two or three exceed.
ingly noteworthy facts. For instance,
there yon do not hurry up and cut your
cane when it blossoms, but you lust let
1t alone and cut II when you choose
no harm will come Of 1t. And you do
not have to keep an army Of hands to
plant in the planting season, grind in
the grinding season, and rush in fran
tically and cut down the crop when a
frost threatens. Not at all. There is
no hurry. You run u large plantation
with but few hands, because you plant
pretty much when You please, and You
cut your cane and grind it when it suits
your convenience. There is no frost,
and the longer the cane stands the bet
ter it grows Sometimes-often, in fact
part of your gang are planting field,
another part are cutting the crop from
IN adjoining field, and the rest are
grinding at the mill. You only plant
once in three years, and you take off
two ratoon crops without replanting.
You may keep on taking off ratoon crops
about as long rs You please, indeed;
every year the bulk of the cane will be
smaller, but the jnice will grow regu.
lnrly, denser, and richer, and so you
are all right. / know OF one lazy man
WHO took Off sixteen ratoon crops with
ont replantingl
What fortunes those planters made
during Our war, when sugar went up
into tho twenties II Ind cost them
about ten or eleven cents a pound, de-
livered in San francisco, and all charges
paid. Now il any one desires to know
why these planters would probably like
to be under our flag, the answer is sim.
pie We make them pay us q duty OF
four cents pound on refined sugars ut
present brokerage, freights, and hnnd-
ling (two or three times), costs three
cents more; rearing the cane, and mnk-
ing the sugar, is mn item OF five cents
more-total, 12 cents pound, or within
n cent Of 1t, anyhow. And to-day re.
fined sugar is only worth about 12i
cents (wliolesale) in our markets. Profit
none worth mentioning. But il we
were to annex the islands and do away
with that crushing duty Of four cents d
pound, some OF those heavy planters
who can hardly keep their heads above
water now, would clear $40, 600 year
and upward. Two such years would
pay for their plantations, and all their
stock aud machinery.