The Hawaiian gazette., 1890-12-09
HILO AS A FRUIT PRODUCING
DISTRICT.
(From the Hilo Record.)


American continent will in time be
the place from whence tropical
fruits can be most easily and profit
ably exported for the consumption
of those living in the western states
and the English possessions. The
cultivation of fruit for export has
been almost entirely neglected until
very lately; bananas have been
largely raised on the island of Oahu
for export. This has only been on
account of the facility of transporta-
ton given by the regular steamer
communication with the coast from
the port of Honolulu. But there has
been no opportunity given for get
ting fruits to a market from any
other portion of our group. The time
is not far distant when such de-
mand on the Coast for our fruits will
exist that some means for transpor-
tation will be provided; and are we
doing anything to fill such a de-
mand?
All tropical fruits will be in de-
mand; bananas, grapes, watermelons,
figs, oranges, lines, custard apples,
cocoanuts and a great number of
other tropical fruits will be wanted,
and Hawaii is able to furnish them
in any quantity.
The districts of Hilo and Puma are
some of the finest lands for growing
bananas, cocoanuts, watermelons,
oranges and alligator pears. kona
could furnish all the oranges, pine
apples and custard apples; Hamakua
grows fine oranges and bananas; kau
and Kohala the same; but all these
fruits, except the water melon, are
fruits that require years from the
planting of the seed to their coming
into full bearing.
The Chinese bananas require eigh-
teen or to twenty-four months to
bear. Our Hawaiian from twelve to
eighteen months. The former hold
the Coast market now, and it will
take time to learn the banana con-
sumner there, that our Hawaiian
bananas are far superior fruit. In
this district of Hilo, we have wide
range of land, suitable to banana
culture and which is unavailable for
cane. Ten thousand punches could
be shipped from here monthly if the
business was gone into. Then we
have as fine alligator pears raised
here as are to be found in any part
of the world and it is fruit we'll
adapted to our soil and climate. The
American people are just beginning
to find out their value. From 1000
to 1000 fruit have been picked off a
single tree in Hilo.
Again we could raise right here in
this district any quantity of the
water lemons of different varieties, a
fruit which in one variety or the
other lasts the year round and a
most delicious fruit it is too, and one
that would have ready sale at the
Coast if once introduced.
1t is easily grown and is great
bearer. The large yellow variety
commences ripening from December
and keeps on till June or July, when
the purple variety sets in. A new
variety just imported by Mrs. D. 81.
Hitchcock seems to be perpetual
bearer, but as none have yet ripened
we cannot say as to their value.
Then our grape season commences
from December and runs we'll into
the summer, a period when the Coast
market is destitute of grapes. And
how many thousand of acres in Puma
and Kona there are lying idle on
which the finest grapes can be
grown.
The fine variety of the white sugar
loaf pineapple does remarkably well
in Hilo, variety which would bring
from 50 to Sc a dozen at the Coast,
while Puma and Kona could furnish
all the native pineapples that would
be wanted in the market. But it
takes two years for pineapple farm
to come into bearing. The custard
apple now grows wild in some parts
of Kona and is fruit which will be
easily marketed, and one too OF
which not enough could be raised to
satisfy the market after once being
introduced. This fruit takes from
three to five years to come into full
bearing. And SO we might go on
enumeratiDg a vast variety of other
fruits growing on these islands. But
it seems to us that we should be
taking hold of the matter in earnest
and begin the planting of fruits
which take so long to mature. We
should not let the matter pass out of
mind and awake some day when
steamer calls at our door and wants
the fruit and we have none to send
away.
We would like to see a fruit COM
pany started in Hilo aud work forth
with commenced in raising these