The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-07-18
Graphic Description of the In
dusfry.
Notes aud Comments on the Rona
District.

Anyone visiting North Kona should
have a look at the estate of the Ha-
waiian Coffee and Tea Company. II
is now so advanced that it will well
repay examination.
The enterprise was commenced in
1891 under the managership of Mr..
Charles Miller, with Mr.. w. Waite as
head luna. Both gentlemen have had
over q decades experience OF both
coffee and tea culture in Ceylon, and
the latter thoroughly understands the
manipulation of the tea-leaf after it
has been plucked.
There are now 100 acres OF coffee
planted. The main portion is on the
KahaIuu estate, while sections have
been planted on various parts of Ho-
lualoa to test the varieties of soil. On
Holualoa are also five acres of tea.
To reach the plantation, the traveller
has to land at KaiIua and take the
new Government road, from thence to
the main road through the woods. En-
PEASANT, it may be said that the new
ROAD has ceased TO be such in its upper
i
pleasant swamp, through which a
horse or mule can kick Its way, but
in which L saw Il wagon firmly i'm
bedded. How long il would remain
there | cannot tell, for it was still
there when | returned.
About quarter of mile below the
main road a patcn of couple # acres
or so OF cultivated coffee trees can be
seen. The trees stand feet apart in
Il l.
healthy. They were planted from
stumps two years ago, aud are now, on
an average, 8 feet high. The prima-
ries spread out finely, beginning close
to the ground. Many OF the trees have
berries on them-an extraordinary
thing for trees of two years growth.
The ground below the trees is kept
carefully weeded and clean. One has
only TO look ut the surrounding jungle
of guava, high grass, kukui trees and
under brush 10 see what hard work
the clearing OF the land must have
been. IL shows, however, every pros
pect OF Il good return next var, and
every succeeding year it viii be better,
while the cost OF wedding Will be re-
iuced Oue-haif after the fourth year.
But this IS only an eXperim ntai bit
the main plantation Is further on.
Leaving the main road and ascend
feet, the plantation proper is reached.
1t is mile from the main road as the
crow flies, but the private road winds
upwards 1T ali easy grade for wagons,
and covers about Il mile and half. Ii
Is proposed to continue this road down
to the beach, reducing the distance To
shipping point from seven and half
TO three and half miles. But this is
a hope of the future.
The first part of the plantation l was
taken over had its trees planted in the
IA. No one who is unacquainted with
this formation could believe that any
vegetation could flourish on it, 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
fiourishiug coffee plants. The keeping
of such land clean Is comparatively
cheap. Further up, at height of say
1000 feet, are five acres of tea. The
plants are over four feet high, and Will
soon be ready for topping. y little to
the south there are several acres OF
coffee in very disintegrated IA, and
still further south on the kahulu
land are over 100 acres on tine sweep
of mountain side. The soil Is black
and rich, somewhat of the character
of that at Mr.. RycrOfts plantation IN
Puma In every case the land has
been thoroughly cleared, and the
coffee trees show out beautifully in
long even lines.
Returning [ went over the nursery.
Here are a vast number of plants and
stumps ready for setting out. The tea
plants, of which there are three Varle-
ties, are wonderfully luNurlant- Inc
question of the quality of tea remains
Lot
grow IuXuriantly IN this district Is in
disputable. The Japanese say that
this tea never attained such growth
in eighteen months as Is shown 10y the
same variety at HOlualoa. 1t 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 ia earnest, and that cou-
pie of years from now there will be
many hundred acres under proper
cultivation.
The so-calIed coffee plantation of
Kona, in former years, WAS never
real plantation but haphaZard af-
fair. That it did fairly we'll was due
entirely to the soil and climatic con-
ditious. Some one or some bird drop
ped berry and KOua climate ''did
the rest"
The only coffee plantation on the
islands that can, at present, be put III
comparison with the II. {. q L. Cos
is that of Mr.. Rycrcft at Pohoiki In
Puma. The elevation is lower than
that of the H. c. & T. Co, and it has
been under cultivation somewhat
longer. When / saw it last Novem-
Der was very much struck with lt.
The extent of it is also not so large,
but it promised TO be q most proht-
able venture. The example of the
II. c. & L. Co. is being followed and
another company, started with Amer
lean capital, has commenced on MI.
McDougars land. DR.. Lindley, the
government physician, has also quite
piece in aud Mr.. VI. F. Scott has
made a commencement. All these
places are being properly started.
OF the two plantations in South
Kona l can say nothing, at present,
as have not visited them recently.
The district of Kona is filling up