The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-09-24
ABOUT COFFEE CULTURE.


"hat Is -Sald OF the Industry In Hama
kua, Hawaii.
Coffee planting in Hamakua has
been for the past two years almost the
sole theme of agricultural conversation.
If we may infer from the talk and
newspaper articles, which once in a
while appear in the Honolulu press.
coffee is, according to many Hamakua-
ties, destined to rank foremost in the
list of Hamakua products. That it is al.
ready second to the sugar product there
is no doubt, as Hamakua already pro-
duces thrice or four times as much
coffee as 10 needed for consumption foi
the 5000 souls in Hamakua.
By far the best coffee lands in the
district are those in Ahualoa, kaao and
Papalele, and on these lands four-fifths
of the entire coffee is planted. The
different plantations now employ labor
to care for the coffee growing hereto.
fore wild in the gulches which cross the
lands under their control.
Coffee plants from six to twelve
inches in hight were formerly to be
had by thousands for the bare picking
in the then neglected gulches, but now
they range in price from 81 to $3.50 per
centum.
Coffee in this district is planted in
two very distinctive ways, whether by
plant or seed. First-The most ex-
tensive lot of coffee is planted under
shade of the kukui, ohia or lehua
trees, etc. Second --- That which is
planted in the open air, out of shade,
where the dew of morn falls unim-
peded by higher vegetation.
Although the first method has been
more extensively used, yet it is not the
most productive. Under shade of the
evergreen and thickly foliaged kukui
ohia, ETC., the coffee plants grow with
astonishing rapidity, the leaves are
larger and of very dark green, and
| the distance in the stems of the
branches average four to five inches
and often six inches.
The coffee trees yield large berries and
the beans, after thoroughly drying and
| preparing for market, are found to be
large and very light in weight, and the
flavor OF not SO high standard as that
produced in the sun. The second
method although as yet not very much
used after trial will be found better as
regards the quantity, quality, ETC., OF
the beans. The stems average two and
three inches apart, the leaf OF light
golden green color, as ii in compliment
to the sun, the branches growing thicker
and in larger clusters, and the coffee
producing more berries and OF better
grade.
After testing all the known grades o.
coffee, a well known San Francisco
coffee establishment pronounces the
Hamakua coffee by far the superior o
all other grades, such as Java, Sumatra
Mocha and Kona coffees.
Coffee planted in the open air must o
course have wind brakes, and tina
planted in hollows and vaies will b,
found more fourishing and more pro
ductive. In Hamakua the distance be
tween the coffee plants is between eigh
and twelve teet. On reaching the heigh
OF six feet the tops are made to shoe
out horizontally thus forming, whei
full grown, a very beautiful green cone
From seed, coffee in Hamakua begin
to bloom and bear at eighteen months O
age. and from nursery or gulch plant
six to eight inches high, at twelv
months.
Neither cane field nor any othe
agricultural field presents better effec
and appeals to the poetic imagination
than coffee field in bloom with it
clusters OF snow white blossoms inter
mingled with the dark green leafs, O
when the crop is crimson red, when IN
red berries in clusters bend the fragil
branches under their valuable an
precious weight
, GODFREY r, ALFONSO,