The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1893-07-25
G-7pHfc Daser51l io, Of ths n
iustyl-.
District

have q look 81 the estate Ol tAe -
vsiisu Coffee and Tea Company. Il
i now so advanced that it will vel
repay. examination
The enterprise was commenced IL
1sql under the mauagership of Mr.
! charles Miller, with Mr.. w. Waite q
baaj luna. Both gentlemen have had
over 81 decades experience Of both
coffee and tea culture in Ceylon, and
The latter thoroughly understands the
manipulation OF the tea-leaf after II
has been plucked.
There are now l2y acres OF coffee
pIanted. The main portion Is on the
EarsIuu estate. while sections have
been PLANTED or various parts OF Ho-
rrar1r 10 TEST the varieties OF soil. On
uolual0a are also five acres Of tea.
To reach the plantation. the traveller
has 10 land ut kailUa and take the
new Government road. from thence TO
-ra main road through the woods. Kin
>grsEqrt. II may be said that the new
rood has ceased 10 be such In its upper
rqr-- and has GeEeuerated into an un-
7TsSs9Dr swamp. through which =
ho-Sa or 81 mule can kick Its way, but
in which [ saw s. wagon firmly I'M
bedded. How long It would remain
there 7 cannot tell, Tor IL was SIN
there when 1 returned.
About quarter Of > mile below the
main road patch Of couple u acres
or 30 of cultivated coffee trees can De
seen The trees stand s feet apart IN
nerfect alignment, and look extremely
healthy. They were planted from
j ytumus two years ago and are now on
an average, 3 feet high. The prIma-
Rs srrsad out finely, beginning close
-orBs Ground. Many Of the trees have
berries on them-Gn extraordinary
thing for trees Of two years growth
The grouud below the trees i kept
carefully weeded and clean. One has
only to look ar the surrounding jungle
of guava, high grass, kuAul trees ana
under-bruSh TO sec what laFu WOTk
the clearing Of the land must nave
baan. II shows. however, every pros
peet of q good return next year, and
every succeeding year Il VIII be better,
while the cost Of wedding will be re-
5road oue-half after the fourth year
Rur this i only an experimental bit
the main plantation i further on.
Leaving the main road and ascend
ing the mountain 20 S height OF 100
feet, the plantation proper Is reacnead.
n i a mile from the main road As the
crow flies. but the private road winds
upwards 1T an easy grade for wagons
and covers about 3 mile and half. 1t
i proposed to continue this road down
70 the beach, reducing the distance 70
shfpping point from seven and 8 halt
10 three and . half miles. But this i
a hope Of the future
The first part Of the plantation l was
taken over had its trees planted IN the
"a. No one who Is unaequainted with
This formation could believe that any
vegetation could flourish on II, but the
fallen trunks Of the giants Of thefOrest,
which have been cut down TO make
way for the profitable berry, attest TO
ITS fertility. Naught meets the eye
but bed Of stones, out Of which peep
flourishiug coffee plants. The keeping
Of such land clean i comparatively
,cheap. Further up, at q height OF say
DO feet. are five acres Of tea. The
ulauts are over four feet high, and will
soon be ready for topping. \ little TO
the south there are several acres OF 1
coffee in very disintegrated a-a, and I
still further south on the hahulu .
land are over 100 acres on & fine sweep
OF mountain side. The soil Is black |
and rich. somewhat Of the character /
Of that at Mr.. RycrOft's plantation III /
Puma. In every case the land has |
been thoroughly cleared, and the 1
coffee trees show ont beautifully in |
long even lines.
Returning I went over the nursery. |
Here are q vast number Of plants and
stumps ready for setting out. The tea
plants, of which there are three yarie-
ties. are wonderfully luxuriaut. The
Question Of the quality Of tea remains
to be settled. but the fact that tea will
grow luxuriantly IN this district Is in
Sisputable. The japanese say that
this tea never attained such 8 growth
in eighteen months as Is shown by the
same variety at Holualoa. It seems
very probable that tea in time will be-
come one Of the staples OF the high
lands Of Hawaii.
The amount OF clearing now being
carried on shows that the company
are really in earnest, and that q cou-
pie Of years from now there will be
many hundred acres under proper
cultivation.
The so-ealled coffee plantation Of
Kona, in former years, was never a
real plantation but 9 haphszard az
air. That it did fairly well was due
entirely 10 the soil and climatic con-
iitions- Some one or some bird drop
ED 4 berry and Kona climate "did
he rest
The only coffee plantation OF the
Stands that can, st present, be put IN
,omuarison with the II. c. < I. Cos.
: thar of Mr.. RycrOft 1T Pohoiki IN
Pima. The elevation is lower than
.hst OF the 81. c. & 7. Co., and 1t has
zen under cultivation somewhat
oneer. When I saw il last Noyem-
,er 7 vas very much struck with 1t.
he extent Of it Is also not 80 large,