San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-01-05
coFFEE-GRow1NG IN HAWAII.
Description of the Industry, Which
is a Growing One.

is q GROWING One.
From the Tacoma WASH Ledger
DR.. j. V. Capron, Health Officer
of the Island of Hawaii, who visit
ed Tacoma last week, talked inter-
estingly to the the Ledger reporter
while here regarding the prospects
that his country will in the near
future attain further prominence
as producer of fine grades of
coffee. Being an extensive pro-
ducer of what is known as Kona
coffee, and President of a company
organized for it's production. DR..
Capron was naturally enthusiastic
on the subject. He said:
"NO country is better suited to
the production of the best quality
of coffee than Hawaii, and although
until recent years the industry has
been but little developed, the lack
of interest in it may be accounted
for by the dull disposition of the
natives and lack of An orican CAPT.
tai and push.
at now bids fair to outrival the
sugar interests, the predominant
factor in the nations commerce.
This is doubtless due to the infu-
sion of American enterprise, vim
and readiness to take chances
into the veins of business. Planta-
tions are being constantly set out,
and now only a limited amount of
land suitable to coffee raising can
be secured.
"The coffee fields lie on the east
ern side of the island, where they
are protected from the cold west
ern wind, the worst enemy to its
cultivation, and are at an altitude
of 1000 to 5000 feet above the sea.
The land consists of a lava or dis
integrated rock formation known
as 'Aa,' upon which little else will
grow, but in which the coffee tree
will thrive.
"The process Of planting is SINH
lar to that practiced in tree plant
ing in this country. The seed is
first started in earth, while the
field is prepared by clearing it of
such grass and brush as is found
growing; holes l foot deep and of
a like diameter are made in the
rocky formation at a distance of
from 6 to s feet apart, and when
the young shoots are sufficiently
strong, they are transplanted, the
roots being left uncovered. AS
grass again grows between the
rows, it is pulled and then thrown
into the holes as covering.
"The trees are permitted to grow
to height of s feet and are then
kept trimmed. They bear but lit
tie the first year the second about
a half pound each, but the third
year full crop is yielded. A good
yield is 2 pounds to the tree,
and three full crops are grown each
year. The fruit when gathered is
picked into a small sack, carried
on the arm, about twenty of which
are required to fill a sack. 1t is
then put through a hulling ma
chine and relieved of the hull,
which grows in the form and color
of cherry, the berry being after
ward separated from the skin,
which envelopes it, by being beatch
in stone followed out for the
purpose. The bean is now ready
for drying and is spread on a flat
surface of boards or rock, and
sufficiently cured by the sun, is
sacked and is ready for market.
"The entire production at pres
ent is consumed at home, and be-
ing barely sufficient to supply the
demand, the government, to en-
courage its growth, has imposed
duty on all imported coffee, which
is proving another incentive to the
development of the trade. l be-
lieve that with a continuance of
the present steadily increasing
activity in the right direction, the
Hawaiian coffee, before many
years, will become a staple pro-
duct in the commerce of the
world"