The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-08-13


Pacific Coast, another had seen the
hedgerows and great garden farms (
of Old England, doubled Cape
Horn, and seen the vegetation and
the products of many climes, and
vet another out of the colder regions
of the temperate zones and from
the "Vallcy of Evangelinc" where
grow the finest apples in the world,
had personal observation for many
years of the excellent results of
small farm homcsteads occupied by
free and independent rural popula-
tions; and with all these varied ex-
periences, there are the superadded
observations made by the professor
in Japan and America. The party
rode on, here pacing cautiously
down steep incline, made some
what rough by the wash of recent
freshets, there breaking into gal
lop over magnificent roads, and
anon drawing rein to look abroad at
the glorious view of mountain and
valley spread around. Mile upon
mile of taro and rice fields heavily
irrigated by the mountain streams
meet the view seward: while land
ward, great tracts of rolling upland
extend far away in the distance to
the bases of the Nuuanu mountains.
Herds of cattle, sheep and goats are
seen far and near on the heights
and slopes of these far-reaching
undulations. The soil is all of n
reddish color. and is evidently of
volcanic origin. Those of the party
who ought to he the best connois-
seurs of soils, express themselves
as astonished at its evident richness.
1t is soil that might be utilized for
any kind of agricultural products.
For whatever purposes the land
might be utilized, the fact soon
| begins to grow upon the whole party
that these lands have not been uti-
lized beyond the requirements of
limited pastoral enterprises. The
party rides on, but the evidences Of
agricultural enterprise and the re-
suits of the labor of an agricultural
population do not appear, except in
the taro and rice fields already men
toned. TO say that the people are
idle and thriftless is no libel on
anyone, for there are no people.
About half a dozen dwelling houses,
and small party of Chinese nav
vies working on the road and two or
three ranchmen ambling on their
ponies on a solitary hill top, are the
only signs of human life to be
noted on the wayside during ride
of some six or seven miles. Here
is the country, and a magnificent
country withal, but where are the
people? From home? Where are
the homes? Not roof to be seen
in all those fine expanses of hill and
valley with a rich deep soil of all
but unlimited possibilities of pro.
duction. We have been taught the
now stereotyped lesson in geography
that this earth with all it's continents
and islands was created to be the
habitation of man, and no doubt the
Board of Education inculcates the
same theory, through the authorized
text books of the national schools
into the minds of the youth growing
up here. Passing up the Waialu;
road, observation does everything
but corroborate the utilitarian theory
of the earth's existence in so far as
it applies to this island. If observa
ton is anything, and scientists say
it is everything, these hills ant
glades go to prove that at least thu
island of Oahu has been perverted
from it's original purpose in thu
economy of nature, and that "some
one had blundered," inasmuch a
large areas of its best lands art
devoted to the sustenance of th'
COW, the OK and the goat, the people
to shift for themselves as best they
can about the docks and stree
corners of Honolulu. Where cult
walton appears, it proves an unmis
takably grand success. Whereve
improvements break up the soil, th'
soil gives manifold returns. Com
ing over the brow of one of tn
hills, an immense structure appear
in the distance. 1t reminds the oh
server of the bridges over some o
the mountain gorges on the line o
the Union and Central Pacific rail
roads. 1t turns out to be Robinson
irrigating flume, running along ol
! trestle work over wide gorge a
: the bottom of which is the Waipah
stream and spring. The road lead
! down towards the water, and passe
under the highest part of the trestl
bridge, the fume at the roadwa.
being apparently about eighty fee
, overhead. Right by the road is
big pump for raising the water t
) the tlume. 1t is brought by thi