The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-10-11
HAMAKUA COFFEE
Result Of Minister CO0per's Oh.
serVations on Hawaii.
MISTAKES MADE BY GROWERS
Hawaiians Have Neglect.
ed Their Homesteads.
Fine Outlook for Horners Some
Honesteads Transferred
to Japanese.

Minister Cooper returned by the XII
nau on Friday from a trip among the
homesteads and coffee lands in the Ha-
makua district. During his absence he
was four days in the saddle, examin-
ing the coffee on the lands far from
the road, and he returns to Honolulu
with clearer idea of the coffee indus
try in the Hamakua district than is
possessed by any other official of the
Government through actual observa-
ton.
Minister Cooper is convinced that
coffee is all right, and that it will
eventually become great product in
Hawaii, but, like every new enterprise.
1t will require study, care and atten-
ton from beginners. In an interview
on Saturday Minister Cooper said:
':The ultimate success of the cof-
fee planter seems to be assured; of
course, there have been failures, but
most of them are readily explained,
and in the future may be prevented.
These have occurred through want of
knowledge, and also through a lack of
personal attention to details, amount
Ing IN some cases to almost complete
indifference. | spent four days in the
saddle and personally inspected the
homesteads from Kukaiau to Honokaa.
Several of the failures are easily ac-
counted for, for instance:
"One man was inclined to be dis
couraged because his trees were MAX
ing such poor returns and showed lack
of vigor. Upon inquiry, it was found
that the land upon which the trees
were planted was so poor that it had
never grown anything except scrub
ohias and low brush, consequently, it
would not grow good coffee Another
man has failed because he has set out
his grove with young trees grown in
boxes, which resulted in the tap root
being distorted and curled, so that it
was impossible for it to send down
proper roots.
Another mans grove was composed
OF unequal trees; it showed some ex-
cellent trees and some very poor ones.
This was accounted for, for the reason
that he had planted all the trees raised
in the nursery. He had not considered
it of sufficient Importance to have Sc
lected the thrifty trees and discarded
the poor ones, but simply took them
all But the man who has taken pains
to use only the best trees grown from
selected seed and planted in fertile soil
and has been careful in his pruning
and cultivation, and has afforded suf-
ficient protection from the prevailing
winds, shows what the ultimate result
Hn
example of this. They have many
acres Of fine trees and every tree a
counterpart of it's neighbor, and all in
the most thrifty and flourishing con-
dition. Some of their older trees,
which are four years from the nursery
and five years from the seed, are now
yielding them an average of four
pounds Of the matured berries to the
tree.
Through the courtesy of Messrs. AL
bert and Robert Horner, I was fur
nished with the necessary horses and
piloted about through all the home
stead lots that have been opened up
for settlement in the Hamakua dis
trict. The results of the efforts Of the
homesteaders are the same as in other
pursuits in life. Some show very in
SO1iuiClOH, W ul1C OlACI nav Z
a promising outlook
Several Of the early settlers have as
| signed their rights to Japanese, who,
through their industry, have establish
ed for themselves a comfortable home
with flattering prospects. With very
| few exceptions. the homesteads taken
up by Hawaiians show no material i'm
| provement. Many of the lots occupied
| by Portuguese show nothing but an
| evident intention of occupying the
land for house lots, rather than home
| steads. There are exceptions to this,
| however, and in several instances we'll
| laid-out grounds thrifty trees and
well-kept vegetable gardens are the
result.
THE homesteads which are now
| sought for by American and European
| settlers are the larger tracts, it being
! impossible for a man with family to
| support himself upon a few acres.
| Where sufficient area has been allowed
to enable man to have a small pad
dock for pasturage, a place for his
vegetables and cereals and the remain
der for his offee-planting. people with