The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-11-09
FERTILE MAKAHA
Are 5000 Acres That Will Yield
Handsomely.
VERY LITTLE IS CULTIVATED
Asparagus and Grapes-What Might
Be Done-Coffee Plantation.
Mr.. Herbert's Advice.

Allan Herbert's Agricultural bulletin
for this week contains the following
points:
Makaha-Makaha, one of the most
fertile valleys on the Island of Oahu,
is about six miles long and contains an
area of 5000 acres, more or less, from
ridge to ridge. At the head, nature
has carved out several waterfalls, little
valleys and springs, surrounded by a
luXuriant growth of native trees, ferns
and flowers Of unsurpassed beauty.
The soil being rich, the climate moist
and warm, and walled in on three
sides as it is with high mountains,
makes it an ideal spot for coffee, cocoa,
bananas, plantains, mangoes, bread
fruit, alligator pears, oranges, lemons,
lines; in fact, citrus fruits of all kinds
and the grape fruit is particular
Among the citrus fruits there is none
which appears to be in greater demand
and which obtains such high price
as the grape fruit You can bud it on
sour orange on lemon stock The fruit.
under proper conditions, will keep for
months and can be shipped to any
part of the world. The fruit brings
now from ten to twelve dollars per
box in the New York, London and
Paris markets, this on account of the
killing of the grape fruit tree in Flori-
da. Plant five acres of this fruit in
any of our valleys with, say 1000 to
1000 trees, and you will have a fortune.
Ask your doctor about the medicinal
qualities and you will procure, and
plant a few trees at once No matter
how small piece of land you have, it
will increase the value of your prop
erty.
At the lower or west end of Makaha
valley are four or five hundred acres
of almost fiat land, we'll adapted to
cane, cotton, tobacco, fiber plants, and
a great variety of tropical and semi
tropical fruits and vegetables.
Between the new railroad track and
the sea is a narrow strip of land, about
sixty acres in extent of black, loose,
alluvial soil, just such land as that
used to raise the asparagus on Sher-
man Island, Alameda County, Califor-
MIA Plant these sixty acres in aspara-
gus and, under new methods Of irriga-
ton, you can cut one ton per day for
six months or more of the year. In
these matters the writer speaks from
experience.
You will say there is no water on
these dry and dusty lands, but we
know there is. Not one-fifth of the
water that comes from the high noun
tains, reaches this land in the bed of
the streams, but dig hole 25 feet
deep on almost any part Of these 500
acres and you will have from ten to
fifteen feet of water in it. At the head
of the valley the water sinks gradual
ly on it's way to the sea just as it does
in Manoa and Palolo valleys. A good
windmill at cost of $25 will irrigate
40 to so acres of this fertile land. A
small new coal oil engine with pump,
at cost of $500, delivered on the land,
will irrigate 100 acres, and more by
sub-irrigation, the natural way of ap-
plying water to land
In one of the delightful little valleys
at the head of Makaha, James Low and
his enterprising associates, have SOC
| acres of choice fruit land of which st
are under cultivation with coffee now
Is months old.
| Coffee culture, on recognized prin-
ciples, has been adopted with promis
ing success by the Makaha Coffee Com
pany. Trees IS to % months old art
now in bloom.
The Waianae Sugar Company hav,
100 acres, more or less, in coffee. Th'
three and four years old trees ar,
marvellous. The Agent, Mr.. Dowsett
tells that he sold five tons of choic
coffee from these 100 acres of thre
year old trees, last year. If we cal
find coffee to equal this on our con
templated visit to Olaa and Kona, Ha
waii, we shall be more than satisfied
not to say, agreeably surprised
Carl Widemann has little thrift
coffee plantation in the Waianae noun
tains, of which he is manager. Fror
the report of his place, we wish W
had more young men in the coffee in
dustry in order to create more taXabl
, property, but as agriculture become
more scientifically intelligent. and
more successful calling the intelligenc
and the ability of the young men {
these Islands will turn more and NOR
to it. They will become fitted to fl
the most useful and best paid posts, a
education they cannot obtain by stanC
: ing behind a counter or hanging owe
a desk; even if it is at a bank
However, it seems to us, the questio
Of paramount Importance to ever
amateur coffee planter here is-firs
, how to prepare and cultivate the sol
He must have knowledge of the col
ditions and characteristics of the sam
And. in order to be successful. shoul