The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-08-26
Land in Waianae Range of
Mountains Quite Suitable.
AHRENS' PLANTATION AT WAIANAE
b. f. Dillingham; Grows Enthusiastic.
Samples of the Berries-SiXty Acres
of Trees es--Opportunities for Labor
rs-DeveIopment ofOahu must come

Il B. F. Dillingham; came into the Ad
triumphantly two magnificent coffee
branches laden with two or three hun
dred good healthy looking coffee ber-
riestand wanted to know what was the
matter with the coffee plantations of
the Island of Oahu.
Mr. Dillingham; is nothing if not an
active advocate of the development of
this island, and the tribute which he
brought the Advertiser was indeed
good evidence that Oahu is not to be
entirely shut out of the coffee industry
Mr. Dillingham was fresh from trip
to the coffee plantation conducted by
manager Ahreps of the Waianae sugar
plantation. The section Mr.. Ahrens
has under cultivation is~in one of the
many gulches that run mauka from
the sugar fields. The land is rocky
and to all appearance not adapted to
any kind of cultivation-except coffee.
The land rises to a height of about
100 feet and the coffee fields are pro-
tected from the strong trade winds by
an almost perpendicular ridge some
$500 feet high that runs along the head
of the gulch. 1t is in this unpromis-
ing valley that Mr. Ahrens has put in
sixty acres of coffee and has $500 trees
in various stages of development. The
trees from which Mr.. Dillingham;
plucked his exhibition branches are
three years old and according to Ro>
bert Rycroft, the Puma coffee grower
are among the best looking trees in the
whole country. 1t is anticipated that
fully six tons of coffee can be taken
off the trees this year. On one of the
primaries which Mr.. Dillingham; gave
his special attention he counted ia
berries and he estimates that six
pounds of coffee will be gathered from
the three old trees.
Now that just shows you," remark
ed the railway manager, what Oahu
can do. There is any quantity of just
such land as Mr.. Ahrens is cultivating
on this island and what / want is for
these local coffee lands to be develop
ed Just look about you for little
There is loves coffee ranch further
along the Waianae range; there is cof-
fee growing in Waialua and around in
Kahuku. Coffee will grow in Manoa
valley and plenty of other places on
the island.
81 tell YOU there's no reason in the
wide world why this island should not
produce 100, 900 tons of coffee annually
Then here's another point. Look at
the women and children in Honolulu
that the coffee grower has to draw
upon for labor. They could take the
train out of Honolulu in the morning,
work during the day and return at
night Why it would be fun for more
than one thousand Portuguese fami-
lies to say nothing of the money they
would add to the family till.
I've got nothing against the devel-
opment of the other islands. 1 want
to see the whole country go ahead, but
I don't see why these coffee growers
here at home are letting opportunities
slip through their fingers that are right
here under their very noses. Land is
cheap and we want here just what
they have on the other islands, a few
progressive men to go ahead and make
the business go. Look at the money
locked up in this town. Just ponder