Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-07-17
SUGAR PLANTATIONS.
A TRIP on THE ISLAND OF
OAHU,
Climate of the Hawaiian Islands
The Mormon Saints-Descripti
of Trees, Grass and Flowers
IREooRD-UNIoN Correspondence

LAIE, Oahu, June %, 1886.
Unconscious or Indifferent to the many
| conjectures and assertions floating round
the United States press about the Mormons
on the Sandwich Islands, the little band of
Saints here go quietly on about their
own business. In fact, do you know, /
think never saw people so capable of
Winding their own business in my life as
these same Mormons. AT Laie their bust
ness is planting cane. making sugar, and
using every effort to elevate and enlighten
the dark-skinned natives of Hawaii Nei.
Have you ever visited a sugar planta-
ton? Well, it is worth visit, and as you
cannot visit this one of Laie in person, let
me convey you around in my pen chariot.
Leaving the oft described City Of Homo
lulu we go up and over the pdh, wind
around the indentations made by noun
| tain and sea, past the rice fields, cane
| fields, cottages standing alone or in clus-
tiers, wooden steeple churches, Chinese stores,
| across rivers and sand patches, and thirty
| two miles of these things bring US almost
| to the northern extremity of Oahu. We
have often heard these islands referred to
as the land of sunshine, ferns and flowers.
| So it is. But dear me- The sunshine be-
comes rather monotonous, the ferns only
grow away up in the mountain gorges
reached by narrow dangerous, slippery
| horse paths, and the flowers, yes the flow
ers they are beautiful aronnd the neat
homes in Honolulu. But, passing along the
roadside here you hardly see the bloom of
| the flowers. for the vile background of dirt
and untidiness. On this island (the only
one | have visited), there are no flowers
| growing wild. All are cultivated in the
sheltered yards of the cottages. But of
course reality and romantic Imagination
| always look out of the opposite end of the
| (6eld) glass. However, We are passing
| through the little cluster of white cottages
called Laie Malou, and yonder on the point
| of the hill is The neat little church belong
| ing to Laie The long range OF mountains
which have been at our left since we
reached the pail, are abrupt, almost black
| with their densely-wooded SUBMITS, and
| the sea losses and tumbles on our right
now close comparatively to the mountain
| crest and again with q mile or two OF
grassy rolling land between the beach and
the mountain base.
This plantation. called Laie, consists of
about seven thousand acres-this, of course,
including much sea beach and highland,
| unavailable except as range for cattle.
| There are about three hundred natives who
| live here, and some fifteen or twenty white
people who make a temporary home at
| Laie for about three years at time. That
| is, the Church sends a missionary party,
consisting of two, six, or sometimes even
eight men with and without wives, "called
here" as it is termed, for a longer or
shorter period, usually three years
At present there are about twenty
here, and on the adjoining islands
| The cottages of the natives are scattered all
| along from Laie Malou to Laie Wal, and
out pop the natives as you pass by, calling
out the national salutation, aloha And
out come the dogs too, and the children
and the pigs all mixed up in extricabie con-
| fusion; and the waves murmur aloha, and
the breeze calls aloha, and the soft lustrous
air wraps you round in delicious sense of
dolce far RieRte. Yes, this is the tropics
you exclaim, especially if it is a lovely day
| in December as mild as June day in q
temperate cline. Well, while we have
been chatting so busily, our carriage has
turned its back to the sea beach and is tax
ing straight line for the little cluster Of
| houses on the brow of the low hill which is
Laie Wal or the houses of the white iulrab-
| Itants. To be more explicit, this hill is
called Laui Hull (Hill OF Heaven) by the
|
every hill, knoll and vale, and even differ
ent spots of the same bill.
| Inside the picket fence, inclosing perhaps
ten acres, are four or five houses, with
| barn, washhouse, bathhouse, chicken
coops, etc, set down in the thick soft grass
that covers every inch Of this side of Oahu.
| This grass is worthy of short mention. 1t
grows rapidly and spreads everywhere SO
| persistent is it, that the cane itself would be
! killed out were it not constantly hoed.
1t makes splendid feed for stock of all
kinds. No weeds can live in it, no flowers,
or anything but maniania grass. 1t
has long, branching roots, and near the
| surface it mats and twines and intervines
until it requires eight or ten yoke of oxen
| to pillow through it. 1t is so tenacious that,
after blowing, the grass tops turned under
soon shoot up again. But | am told that
| if plowed up short, or rather cut off near
the surface, and then left to the heat of the
sun, SO that the heavy ground usually piled
above it does not shield it ana aid it to
terminate, il will be killed out One often
sees fences around little flower plats, made
by cutting out this grass close to the sur
face in long, narrow blocks and piled up
on each other, making very etfectual
| break-wind for the stiff sea breeze that the
trade winds bring almost constantly from
| the southeast. The grass is soft, velvety.
branched instead of in single blades, never
growing very high, clean, and is a charm
ing carpet to walk upon, never soiling the
dress or shoes with the lightest STAIN
Without the grass life would be unbearable
here for the housewife, as the soil is red
and as sticky as molasses or clay when wet,
which is once or twice a day and some
| times all day.
But we have stood looking at the ground
| long enough. Raise Your eyes and see
| these houses. One large and many-addi-
toned, evidently the principal house next
to that a square, hip-roofed house, contain
, ing four bedrooms; then little cottage
with three or four rooms, occupied by a
small family, and beyond another small
cottage, which also accommodates one
fimily. We passed the church and school |
house on the left hand, as we came up.
| The church is very creditabe affair, So
feet wide by 65 feet long, and costing
about 5000. 1t seats about 500, and is
finished and painted inside and out with
neatness and taste.
Near the church is the roomy school !
house, which accommodates 200, the school
being taught in English by young Nor
mon elder A good native school is also
taught by an educated native-kinima-
kalehua. Somewhat OF name, isn'tit p
All the houses are of frame, and white
washed. But they stand out bare and I'M
draped by trees of any kind. Shelter from
the trade winds is necessary for the growth
of trees and flowers.
Beyond the church wave the cane-fields. |
And seated in the midst of their green |
glowing beauty the mill puffs out its con-
slant cloud of heavy smoke. There are
| about 60 acres planted in cane, yielding on |
an average from two to two and half tons |
of sugar to the acre. The mill is a very |
good one, manufactured at the Honolulu |
Iron Works. and built six years ago costing |
$24 900. 1t is the policy of the church to |
furnish employment for it native members, |
who gather here-as this is the center Tor |
gatherings place, in church parlance) for |
the Hawaiian Islands-thus getting them |
where they can be taught to become clearly |
in their habits, decent in their talk and |
virtuous in their morals-no small task, let |
me assure you. This plan costs the church |
! financially. for Chinese or Portuguese labor |
! is much more efficient and really cheaper, |
| because so steady and energetic; and then |
the natives (oh. human nature, how very
human thou arti), knowing this is the |
policy, take advantage by working or not, |
and. when pretending to work, spending |
two-thirds of their time in Idle chatter or
eating cane.
There is plan adopted on some planta-
tons of putting the natives under law,