The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-06-29
DIR. MAXWELL ON COFFEE
THE PROSPECTS OF THE GROW.
ING INDUSTRY.
Suggestion That Cane Plantations ard
Coffee Plantations Should be Male
Interdependent-Be Esteemed.

tary Wilson speaks of the Island cottee
as follows:
The coffee berry is natural product
of Hawaii. 1t Is growing wild in loca-
ton upon several of the Islands. These
wild trees have reached a large growth,
and they are still furnishing berries TO
the native Hawaiians. When the berry
was first introduced into the country is
not known, 1t passes as one of the
growths native to the Islands and their
conditions.
Coffee is being cultivated upon the
four larger Islands. On Maui and Kau-
al the work has not passed the expert
menting stage in areas and results. ON
Oahu the production is, in one district,
getting on to commercial basis. 1t is
to the Island of Hawaii, however, that
one must go in order to see what is be-
ing done and to estimate the possibili
ties of the industry.
There are four main coffee districts
on the Island of Hawaii, namely, Puma,
Olaa, Kona and Hamakua. A census
of the areas in the several districts that
are at this time under coffee has been
attempted, but the data do not Justify
a precise state 1ent regarding the num-
Der of acres and accomplished results.
Many planters express areas by number
of trees, but as the distances between
trees are not uniform, acreage cannot
be reliably deduced. In the district of
Olaa which claims the largest total
area and the greatest number of plant
ers, the land actually under coffee is
about 5000 acres The other districts
have relatively smaller areas under
plant than Olaa, but this present cir
cumstance Goes not necessarily indi-
cate the future relative Importance of
the several districts. The matter of
soil, with the essentially associated eli
matte conditions, are the prime factors
xt-nt al t,1.r sl,fA 81,
values of the respective districts for
permanent coffee growing
An idea is had of the commercial i'm
portance of the coffee industry by OBJ
serving the exports of the berry to 9TH
er countries. Foreign shipments, how
ever, do not express anything like the
volume of the total production, since
the coffees used on the Islands are
chiefly home grown. The exports for
1897 were 337, 1853 pounds, valued at $685.
696 g. These figures, however, not only
do not represent the volume of product
ion for the year stated, but they fall
still further short of indicating the pres
ent basis of the industry. The coffee
tree requires several years of growth in
coming to economic bearing. This
means that while the present area of
actually bearing lands is so much, a
larger or smaller area may be in course
of coming up and will be added to the
actually producing lands within year
or so.
The coffee industry of Hawaii is not
destined to impress the world by the
great areas under cultivation or the
volume of shipments corresponding to
the production of other countries. Ha-
waiian coffees, however, are on the way
toward a permanent reputation for |
high and specific quality. They have |
their own aroma and marked flavor as |
distinctly as does the Hawaiian pine !
apple, which makes it dramatically su- |
perior to most known pineapples. With |
the delicate flavor is also associated |
mildness and freedom from the acrid-
ness that marks many individual and |
unmiXed coffeeS that are on the market
Hawaiian coffee is complete in itself,
and no known mixture adds to its native
excellence. Prices already obtained for !
selected samples sold aboard justify |
the view that this coffee is capable of |
reaching a unique position, where quail
ity and not price is the first considera- /
ton of the consumer. This considera-
ton of quality" makes it necessary in
the highest degree that the culture shall |
receive specially intelligent care. 1t is |
further and equally necessary that the |
utmost attention shall be given first to !
the cleaning, and then to the grading |
of the berries, in order to place them |
on the market in presentable and adj !
vantageous form.
The coffee industry is in the hands Of !
men of varied nationalities. Among |
these are found Germans, Portuguese, |
Americans, Englishmen and Asatics |
The great body of coffee growers, how |
ever, are Anglo-SaXons. These men
are, in the main, prospective and per-
manent settlers. If they succeed in
their undertaking the country will be |
benefited by the addition of an industry
which will bring with it "a class of !
weighty and valuable citizens.
The scale upon which it will be most |
profitable to carry on coffee planting
has not yet been determined. The
small planter may be able to make it
work with coffee as the money yielding
crop, but producing most of the articles
of food for himself and family. By men
of capital, who have looked into the
question more precisely from the finan-
oial standpoint it is definitely stated
that, in order to make coffee a perma-
nent industry and capable of taking its
place with other industries, the planta-
lions must be on comparatively large
scale, so that 1t will be possible to en-
gage steady supply of labor for them
and provide the best mechanical means
FOR the cleaning and grading of the ber-
ries. One other view is that coffee will
become the most remuneratiVe as an
adjunct to existing sugar plantations.
chiefly on account of the matter of lab
or 1T is strongly represented that as
the altitude for coffee planting com
mences where sugar planting ceases.
the industries are naturally contingu-
Gus, and by an adjustment of the labor
staff could be made interdependent
There are two examples which indicate
that this latter view may develop into
reality