Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1898-06-04
A PERMANENT AGRICULTURAL
EXHIBIT.
From THE HAWAIIAN of to-day.l

~ 'ilS lhSStlllS VI tle Board OF
Agriculture, May 27th, the proceed
ings of which were reported in full
in The HAWAIIAN last week, Secre-
tary Clark was empowered to ar
range tor a permanent exhibit of
the products of the Hawaiian Islands.
This Scheme-originating with Mr..
Clark, and to be successfully carried
out only at great expenditure of
energy-means more for this country
than the bare announcement that
such an exhibit is to be established
can convey to the mind.
Less than twenty-five years ago
Southern California was, from an
agricultural and horticultural stand
point, a land of little promise. A
few ventureSome, hopeful people, in
the face of all sorts of discourage
ments, planted fruit trees and grain
and vegetables and flowers where it
seemed certain to many people that
they could not be made to grow.
Some of these things did not grow
well, because the conditions were
not understood by the planters; but
many Of them did, and grew sur
priSingly well, too. When these
products were seen by the people,
they were convinced, with the re-
suit that other orchards and other
fields of grain and special things
were planted. Seeing is believing.
1t is well known in Southern Cali
fornia that the surprisingly rapid
development of the region is due
largely to the exhibitions of what
had been done. The county agri-
cultural fairs did 4 great deal of
valuable advertising, until they
lapsed into little more than horse
races. But the idea of produce
displays was too valuable to be lost,
and permanent exhibitions came
into vogue. These exhibitions have
added millions of dollars to the
wealth of the southern half of Cali
fornia. At Los Angeles, the south
ern metropolis, the exhibition is
managed by the Chamber of Com
merce. People acquainted with
that section will hardly ask what
good it doeS-they know. The first
point Of interest to be visited in Los
Angeles is the Chamber of Com
merce exhibit. 1t is an object lesson
more convincing than any other
thing could be. Each section of
country, and each division and sub
division of soil is shown up in the
varied exhibitions; 50 no matter
what particular line of agriculture a
man may wish to engage in, he has
an object lesson that may, and
probably will, save him years of
time and much money. If the eX-
hibit at Los Angeles did not pay the
contributing counties, as an adver-
tisement, it surely would not be
maintained year after year.
Because the land of Hawaii is
scattered in group of islands, and
is not quickly and cheaply acceSsi-
Bile, an exhibit, such as that deS-
cribed, if maintained in Honolulu,
the metropolis Of this country, and
it were freely accessible to whoever
cared to look and study, would do
more good for these islands than the
Los Angeles exhibit does for its
section. If person were to ask
what farm products could be raised
proftably, he might get fuller and
more satisfactory answer than in any
other way, by going to the Hawaiian
exhibition. There could be eX-
hibitS of island soil, with descriptions
telling OF the various chemicals they
contain and what kinds of fertilizers
should be added if certain products
were desired. There might be
object lessons in coffee raising, for
instance, that would tell more to the
enquired than columns of worded