Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1885-08-08

The waves Al Oukala ate very strong AID con.
inuouily ieopafdIe the existence Of crane and
.ogine foom The roof Of a .msl store house.
iearly Too feet above the pesn tide wat
-renehed of by The waves during one Of lab
year. storms and the grass on the biun., ia1
Ic,' above the water Is often killed by the
lashing spray All The Laupahochoe and
cane is numed 10 mill. None oi
The Ookala cane Is lumed nor Is any in Tia.
mskua District, save iha, sen, ,e Pacific Mil.
Kukuihacle. Ookaa haa cane railway,
which has two branches, running =. miles in
on, direction and ~ in another. Cane is
hauled to the railway in wagons known locally
as wrigh,'s go.devilsF which are practi.
caly 4whceled trucks 10 feet long, made
light yet strong.
MI J. VI. Homer is The presiding seniu, of
kukaiau Plantation. lie and his neighbor,
Mt. John Wright have the reputation Of being
two Of the most practical land therefore most
successfully Of island planters When say
practical | do not mean that either is neglec,
iul of the theoretical and scientific knowledge
Of cane growing. But the long practical
farming experience Of each fitted him especially
to cope with the many difficulties Of cane cul.
tvat:on.
Kutaiau Mill is managed by Mr. George
Renton, the plantation by Mr.. j. NJ, Homer
assisted 10y his son, Mr Albert Homer Last
year 500 acres were in cultivation and from
$50 to 500 acre additional were ayaihle. The
frs, crop was being taken OF while | was
there and was estimated at 1000 tons The
agents inform me ,he, it realized I,ioo tons
In the work Of the plantation 70 Chinese
and ! natives were employed. Mules and
horses are used in plowing and taking of crop;
no oxen used. Lahaina cane only is grown.
The highest field planted reaches an altitude OF
I, 500 feet, the loves, field is on the edge OF a
bluff about 400 fee, above the water. The
kukaiau soil is deeper and richer thun that OF
Ookala. Mr.. Horner describes it as disinte-
grated lava, combined with vegetable mould,
several feet deep and completely underdrained
by porous lava not yet disintcgrated. The char
acter of the soil is such that after the earth is
completely saturated growing cane can stand
two rainess months withou, deterioration.
The topography Of Kukaiau plantation lavor'
the transportation of cane by wagons. Much
hcaner ones than those used at Ookala are
employed to an advantage not possible at the
former plantation, whose fields have steep
slopes and many undulations 1t seems to me
that the kukaiau wagons would answer ad'
mirably in plantations where the slopes are
gradual and undulatons few. The wagons
are made by a California firm. They have
iron wheels, axles and tongue. The front tires
are four-inches and the rear tires siS.inchcs
They are loaded so that there shall he no up.
hill hauling and carry cane enough 10 average
each a clariher TO the load. 1t takes seven o
these wagons, in constant motion during work
ing hours, to keep the mill running up to its 5
ton daily average.
AT Ookala the management has made
successful an effort TO combine landclearing and
fertilization in fields covered with rank growth
Of Hilo grass. Flowing under the grass and let
ting i, TO, in the soil has the double advantage o.
compacting the light and easily-eroded Ookalu
soil and OF furnishing a mulch that enrichc!
the field A, Kukaiau no artificial fertilization
is necessary. Much Of the kukaau land has
had 10 be cleared, guava and sumach bushe:
on the lower feltls, and ohia trees on tht
upper levels. The average cost of clearing
forested or bush-covered land at Kukaiau has
been S25 an acre.
The Ha amakua rainfall is heavy and distri
buted pretty evenly throughout the year. Th'
past year was wet one. The dry months
in dry years-are May and June, and Septcm
Der and October.
The cane borer has put in an appearance il
Hamakua. He attacks the red cane success
fully but is resisted by the Lahaina to som,
extent.
There was a water famine in Hamaku
during the months Of July, August, Septembe
and November, 1881. Brackish water, brough
from the sea shore, sold at Honokaa, sold q
high as ST. bucket. There was no water i
the upper Waipio streams and very littl
in Waimanu; and what water was in the lowe
levels of either was so affected by the tides a
to be unfit for use.
Beyond Kukaiau the fields OF Hamaku
plantation OF Paauhau and Of Honokaa planta
tation slope gently seward with trend sinlila
TO that of Kukaiau, and with similar soil.
James Renton Jr. manages Hamakua Mil
which is planted for by the Messrs. Charl'
Motley Sr. and Jr., and by Mr.. t. II. Davie:
for whom Messrs. Frederic and A. G. Blu
chartt are managers. The cars OF gravi,
uamwsy convey cane to the eil from the fell
OF both plantations.
Mr.. August Otto Manages Paauhau Mil
Hon. Samuel Parker and Hon. Rufus 4
Lyman plan, for the mill. the former havir
in some 500. the latter about $50 acres, wh'
| was there. Cane has been planted as hii
as 1900 feet at Paauhau, thongh last year Il
highest field was no, above 1900 feet.
gravity ramway is employed al Paauhau.
Honokaa Village, mile above the mill,
District. 1t has four stores kept by Mr.. v
u. Holmes, Mr.. J, r. Mills, Portuguese
and two Chinese. Messrs. w. Conradt al
D. BahlmNnn have blacksmiih's and whc'
wrighi's shop. Messrs. J. T. Sanford and
l.. Kaunamano are practicing lawyers. Ho
J. n siiau is police Judge, and NJ. Villa
Lumeheihe is deputy sheriff. Hon. X.
Lyman is the district school agent and NJ
Joseph Homer, road supervisor. There a
I tive teachers in the Honokaa governme
school. and the school attendance is from
to 100 pupils.
DR.. c, ID. Greenfield is government, ply
can for the district, and resident a, Honoks
. Rev Isaac Goodall breaches in English to
congregation Of Evangelical Christians
iionokaa. and Rev. w. NJ. kalaiwaa preach
, to native congregations in Kasla. Paauilo, Ia