The morning call., 1893-03-09

them with physical conditions Of such ex-
qulslte beauty and favor as must be seen
10 De appreciated, and life in the "paradise
OF the Pacific" is dream of loveliness. At
present. however. and for a year or more
past, owing to the unstable nature of the
government, capital has fought shy of Ha-
walian commercial projects, and but for a
lew American enterprises the commercial
stagnation in the kingdom would have
been complete. With a revolution every
eighteen months business men are slow to
rlsK their ventures upon these troubled
seas. With annexation, however or in
TACT with any good Government that
aHords any promise of perma-
nent tenure, an era of commercial
prosperity is bound 10 dawn upon the
Islands. Here are the potentialities of Il
rich, fertile and productive country, only
needing little capital and enterprise and
the assurance of political security to make
thls talr spot bring forth fruit in abundance
Tor the delight of the nations of the earth.
One may drive for miles here through the
hilis, where not vestige of cultivation
appears and where the whole country, on
either side of the road, is tangled mass of
guava bushes. sending their delicate fra
GRANGE abroad for miles and dropping their
earth, enough going to waste every season
to supply delicious jelly for half the United
States.
Ten thousand punches of bananas are
shipped every month to San Francisco,
but this is not an item compared with what
might be done. With Pearl Harbor opened
bananas from the new plantations now
eelng put under cultivation along the coast
could be cut on the morning a
steamer sailed, put on board and
landed in San Francisco in
condition to admit of shipment further
East. He who would know this fruit in its
delicious perfection. however, must come to
Hawaii and taste them fresh from the trees
and golden ripe. The banana. in the day
oil the tabu, was a sacred fruit, and tabu
10 women; it is still within the memory of
the oldest inhabitant how little native girl
had one eye taken out as penalty for eating
banana-nad she been grown she would
have lost her life; but now this royal fruit
is free as salt water; at least a United
States nickel will purchase dozen or two
fat, luscious beauties, and for quarter you
can get a whole bunch. Piueapples, TOO,
grow here in abundance and of the finest
quality. The industry is yet in its infancy,
but there can be no doubt but that it is des-
tined 10 become leading one in the islands.
Hawaiian rice brings the very highest prices
IN the San Francisco market. AS lover Of
coffee l am prepared TO speak with enthu-
siasm OF the beverage prepared from the
KOna berry. 1t is second only TO the finest
mocha, but, left for years to the desultory
cultivation given it by the natives, the an
nual crop is insufficient TO supply even the
home demand. There are now about 1000
acres in old coffee through north and south
KOna. where there might be many more
Several plantations have also been put
under cultivation on the other Islands. and.
properly pushed, this should become a
great industry in the kingdom.
trial OF tea culture is also being made
just now at Maksweli, another at Kukui-
haele on Hawaii and a third at Kona with
results so favorable that number of other
plantations are contemplated Cocoanuts
abound in the Islands and a large number
Of orchards are being set out. One Ameri-
can gentleman has this month been super
intending the setting out Of 2500 trees on
his place along the coast near Pearl Har-
Dor. The cOcoanuts grow on the seashore
where nothing else will, and although the
trees are ten or twelve years in coming to
bearing they yield thereafter. Tor genera
tions large and profitable crops. They are
a very useful tree; not only the nuts, but
me husks. the fibrous coverings Of the clus-
ters and even the leaves have each dis
tinct commercial value.
The castor oil plant grows wild in many
parts of the Islands and the bears 90 to
waste, although Hawaii itself annually uses
some $500 worth of oil for medlnical pur-
poses alone.
There are a large number of valuable
plants growing in the country that could be
put to commercial use, as ramie, ssal. aloe
and olOna. Of which the natives used to make
their fishing lines and the lace foundations
of their wonderful feather cluaks.
Before the whole country went wild on
the subject of sugar considerable good hay
and grain was grown in the islands. but
there is none now save tie sparse, watery
Bermuda grass which the Cinnamon cult
vate and harvest by means Of a hoe and
rake, hoeing it up roots and all, raking it
over and shaking out the dirt. and then