The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1899-07-26

For weary folk, like the farmers wife
on her deathbed, so tired that they de-
sire only "just to do nothing for ever
and ever" the place is heaven. It is
cooler there than at Honolulu, and there
are not so many mosquitoes. Neither lie
there that too muchness of tree and
foliage which is drawback to Homo
lulu. At Hilo you can see the stars at
night, and the streets are not overshad-
owed to the point Of dense, damp dark.
ness.
The pretty town rests at the foot OF
mountain, whence streams of pure wa.
ter flow through the lawns and gardens.
Roses begin to grow here, too, for
wonder, and flowers of rare loveliness,
such as you see in California One who
had cottage and patch of ground at
Hilo could raise on his own soil every,
thing he needed to eat, from cocoanuts
to fresh eggs.
We remain one night at Hilo, and at
Z in the morning take stage for the
mountain top and Kilauea crater. It is
not every day in these times that the
traveller can enjoy ride in an old fash
Toned stage with bugle and -four
horses, two of which are mules, as we
did Our leaders were mules, our wheel
ers were horses, and all Of those blessed
'nags had seen better days, far better,
let us hope.
You pass through at least four de.
grees of latitude from warm to cool in
travelling that 81 miles of road from
Hilo to the crater of Kilauea. It Is q
smooth, gentle rise all the way, won.
derfully picturesque road, fair and al.
Turing as the road to ruin. AS we trot
out Of the town we pass patches of sug.
ar cane waving their royal silken
plumes in the soft wind. AS we go up.
ward the cane ceases. Thenceforward
on each side of the road is tangle OF
tropical jungle. For some reason flow.
ers, which seem rather shy and scarce
about Honolulu, here bloom in lavish
profusion. The lantana, which we cher.
ish so carefully as greenhouse plant
in winter at home, in the Hawaiian Is.
lands becomes scrubby weed and
nuisance. So is the nasturtium, with
its gorgeous shades Of yellow, orange
and brown. They say they cannot rid
their fields Of the nasturtium pest once
it gets hold in the soil.
On we go. Passion flower vines Of
splendid size and beauty climb great
trees and cover them with leaf, blossom
and fruit, for the passion vine bears an
edible fruit here. Morning glories az
large as the biggest of single hollyhocks
and of exquisite coloring are thrown in
to fill up. The choicest foliage plants,
such as we pay much money for and
coddle into being at home, here grow tc
almost the size of trees. I saw clumps
of blood red coleus and achyranthus ten
feet high, croton bushes and vivid red
poinsettias tall enough to be trees daz.
zle your eye with their brilliancy. Tree
ferns, wonderful growths such as We
read about and marveled over in child.
hood spread their majestic fronds every.
where. They are of all sizes, some only
sprouting out of the ground, others
20 feet high. The birds nest fern seed,
blown into air by the winds, drops upon
the trunks of forest trees and takes root
and fourishes as if it belonged there.
That is why it is called bird 8 nest fern,
because it grows in trees
Banana plants lift their heads and
ripen their fruits wherever the ferns