The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-03-15
TT WILL FETCH TOURISTS.

been in town for the past few days,
has for a long time been engaged in
making surveys in Puma, and has &C.
quired in consequence a more
thorough knowledge of that district
than perhaps anyone else in the
group. An ADVERTISER reporter
saw" MIR. Loebenstein and asked
his opinion On the agricultural re-
sources of Puma.
MIR. Loebenstein said: There is
an extensive acreage in Puma suit
able for the cultivation Of different
products, particularly of coffee and
tobacco"
"How much is there of it?" asked
the reporter.
"Well, it is scattered" was the re-
ply. Sometimes there are large
tracts and sometimes pieces of few
hundred acres only. Twenty-Five
miles from Hilo, by the new road
survey above Kapohu, on the lands
of Rycroft and others, there must be
10000 acres of the finest coffee land.
This land can't be plowed it is
rocky, but very rich. Most of the
good lands are covered with dense
forest, but here and there are open
spots called kipuka, covered with a
growth of the XII plant, tree ferns,
sugar cane, etc, and which are
patches cultivated by the natives in
ancient times, and were called by
them ''kihapai" and "mahineai."
What do you think of Puma as a
coffee district?'
at is the coffee district" replied
MIR. Loebenstein promptly.
"The climate is dry and the drain
age perfect. It is good for tobacco,
too, which requires warmth and open
land without strong winds. There is
plenty of tobacco growing wild,
which has received no cultivation for
years. 1t grows where the soil is
very thin, IN crevices of stone walls
and rocky localities. There are
probably 5000 acres of land available
for tobacco, and 10000 or 10000 for
coffee. l am only counting Govern
ment lands. There is only one Crown
land in Puma. 1t is not surveyed, but
probably does not contain over 1000
acres"
"Are there any lands of the Bishop
Estate in Puna?" inquired the re
porter.
"There are three only. OF these
two are unsurveyed."
"What proportion of the arabic
land of the district belongs to the
Government"
"Well, IS per cent. of it anyway.
The arabic belt of Puma is from three
to six miles from the sea coast, and
is consequently unexplored. It is
wonderful country and I could talk
Of it by the hour. 1t only lies in the
hands of the Government to develop
it. Everything depends on an ap-
preparation being made for the road,
of which the preliminary survey has
been made"
SIS the line of the survey the
best?"
"Since / have begun on the detail
survey of the district of Puma I find
it can be changed in some particulars
to advantage. I certainly believe
that road is of the utmost Importance.
Nawahi is in favor of it, and mon
ster petition for it is being got up in
the district. The road begins at the
edge of the Ramie camp, one mile
from the edge of the woods-nine
miles from Hilo. 1t follows the old
road for a mile and half more, and
is to extend to Kaimu on new sur
vey. L can ride to Kaimu, thirty one
miles from. Hilo, whereas by the
coast the distance is thirty seven and
a half miles. I met with ancient
trails showing traces of a dense
population and cultivation in early
times. The road, il opened, will
afford beautiful scenery to tourists,
as there are natural wonders all
along, lava trees, pit craters and lava
tunnels extending for miles, which
formed ancient burial places. There
are natural benches formed by the
lava. where the dead were placed,
and on these are bones, skulls and
sometimes complete skeletons. These
tunnels are HUH ID 10 ~ 1SCO VINO
and about the same in height, and
of course pitch dark. The light from
lanterns, reflected from the roof pen
dents, flashes and scintillates so that
one seems to be in a crystal palace.
All the things that tourists go crazy
over are there. From the ninth to
the nineteenth mile the road is over
pahoehoe, the arabic land lying about
a mile and half above".
"Why don't you build the road
higher up then?"
lit would cost too much replied
MIR. Loebenstein, " as the pahoehoe is
very uneven above its 600 feet con-
tour line. There is considerable
sandal wood growing on the pahoe-
hoe. but the ranchers are too lndolent
to drive cattle, so they make a fire
and burn off the brush, which kills
the sandal wood. 1t is shame.
There are no wild cattle in Puma,
except hzardsp
"Have you any suggestions to
make about the homestead law" IN
CURED the reporter.
AFTER having observed the work
ings of the law, should advocate
rnuoh oos;or farms and even giving