The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-11-22
HIS VISIT
TO SLA NDS
Professor Stubbs Talks
TO a Reporter.
PRAISE FOR OUR METHODS
Sugar Expert Described His Impress
sIons in a New Orleans
Paper.


Hawaiian Jslands. as follows:
In respect of the agricultural inter-
ests of the Islands. Professor Stubs
said that all the lands were originally
held by the crown in fee, but soon af-
Ter the advent of the missionaries the /,
King was induced to divide the land
IN three equal portions. one-third be-
tng given To- the chiefs. and the re-
naming one-thrd being divided ,
among the Deasaatry- Under the old /
system. which closely resembled the
European fsudal system, the King di-
vided his estates among the chiefs or
mobility, whJ leased them TO the peas |
ants In sucn tracts as they could Gull |
fvate. When the land was divided the |
holdings were entered i'm the Mahele |
Book. the "Doomsday" book Of Hawaii !
This Mahele book is. of course, the
foundation tc all titles to real estate
In the islands.
"On the islands there are about sixty
plantations" said the professor, "only
Tour OF the islands-Kauai Hawaii,
Maui and Oahu being devoted to the
cultivation of sugaE cane principally.
The others are devoted to raising of
4 live stock and the cultivation of rice.
Molokai is volcanic. and sugar culture
rs prevented by lack of water. On the
Islands where sugar cannot profita-
4 bly, be grown there are numerous cof-
Zee plantations. the high mountainous
lands being used for stock farms. Mois-
ttire Is very unevpnIy distributed on
! the islands. ON the windward side
there rs sufficiency of rainfall, while
lon the leeward side there is no rainfall.
4 and artesian water has to be used for
Irrigation.
The soil on the arid or leeward side
of the islands il the richer for the suf-
GRf Ron hs.e h rtl 10.
been leached by the rain. and has con-
sequently retained all OF its virgin fer
tility. on he wes- side of the islands
the yield Of sugar is from six to nine
tons per acre. while on the irrigated
lands on the arid size the yield is from
eight To fifteen tons. This yield, how
lcvert IL not annual. the cane requiring
two years In which TO mature. The
cost of irrigation is great. the installa-
ton of plants costly. and coal is worth
from 81 to Sl2 per ton. All of the
sugar houses on the islands are mod
iern and up TO the requirements of the
day. on the plantations where irriga-
ton In practiced. steam rlows are used.
and the SOL Is broken To a depth of
three feet. the planting being very
deep.
The culture of sugar cane occupies
D about All OF tho availableriand of the
) islands. lack of water and labor hay
2 ing been the two obstacles in the way
Of extension. While some OF the plan
tations may yet lie slightly enlarged
|. mo- new platdations can be taken up
and the present sugar acreage of the
: islands may be accepted as their ui-
innate capacity. There are no sugar
planters in the hawaiian Islands as
the term planter Is understood here
The plantations are owned by stock
companies. and are operated by a gen
. eral agent ~ho employs the labor. cul-
III faa h q l.. 4
q uct. and makes an annual report L.
: the stockholders. The stock OF thest
}, plantations is sod daily at the. mart
at Honolulu. pretty much as railroad
shares are sold In ais country.
}. The soil between the sugar planta
ions and the coast is cultivated by
lChinamen who. as one would suppose
o. devote their labor To the raising oil
tTice. They cultivate the cereal after
: the most primitive methods. The Chi.
luese rice grower turns up the sol
While IL ~ flooded with a pillow tina
p should be in a museum. and does tn,
: Harvesting and winnowIng by hand
e Sotwithstanding his previous meth
n DDS. however, the Cninaman Is able I.
r pay $50 per acre tent for his holding
lie raises two crcps n year. the frs
paying the annuat rent, while the sec
:. end crop n the Chinaman's own
beyond tie sJger plantations an,
= some 1000 or 5000 feet up the noun
tain Is grown coffee. This coffee is ex
tremely popular on the Pacific Coast
where u meets w,th a ready sale at
:. satisfactory price. Above the suga
plantations are the cattle ranches
These ranches have become matte
or great inGular Importance. IL bein,
y generally believed that they are re
e spOnsible for the destruction Of tn
J. forests. which are gradually disappear
Ie ing. and cutting OF the rainfall.
le The secondary crops of the island
: are pineapples and bananas, both o
which fruits are raised I'm sufficien
Quantities To- export. A sort of may
=, apple. alligator pears. breadfruit ant
other fruits are also grown in garden
= for family consumption. The native
cultivate the taro plant. which supple
their principal food. and from which
the national dish. poi is made. Tarc
poi and fish supply about all the foo,
consumed by the natives.
LAS has been stated. the great desi
deratum OF the Islands Is more water
Il, The absence of moisture Is felt evel
=. on the win1ward side OF the islands
:, where the rainfall is annually from ?
to 300 inches. THIS Is due To the fac
= that the soil Is porous and drinks u
~ the water as fast as Ii falls. In con
sequence there Is no storage Of waite
I'm streams and ponds as in most coun
tries. There Is, moreover, no dew, an
cattle have to adapt themselves to thi
unusual condition by eating. instead G
drinking water. In the early mornin
Z after rain they go out and crop IN
grass. the blades Of which have re
tanned some of the precious fluid. Is
=, land raised cattle understand the sit
cation perfectly and give no troubl,
- hut most OF the imported stock can
!, rot adapt themselves TO their change
"a conditions"
- The climate of the islands, said Pre-
- fessor Stubs. vas delightful. TIL
- Thermometer never got above So dc
~ Erees. and did not go below So. Ther
= were no seasons. Vegetation grew I'll
~ year around. and fruit trees very ofte
" bore the ripened fruit and the biossol
~ ~ at the same time. The island entC
he mologist hal noticed one OF the fruit
grown on the island bearing ripe fru
- In May. Some time after ne desired ,
~ secure some OF the seed OF this fru
for planting and naturally conclude
that May was thu proper time TO co
I'd lect the seed. bu, when he went to II
. tree the next May he found that 7
was about two months too late. tt