The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-03-26

I anu lAAE LAt4h tAuAeN f4NLl.E- 4 p.
max I-IdlIy adhered % TIE hands and
I c1agUlated quickly. Tle progressive
ll4-.l-e. lt tEs Hama plantation. *. s
| Gjerdrum. in his report o. the forestry
committee 90 o.. Sugar Planters As-O-
e.arCE. whites. About -ls middle Of
June Mr.. Hugh Howell planted az Ma
Llau seVEgI. C-lrl rUoIer eels. lur.n-
t-e iryes- spell -lll ..l-.Au . s exuar-
fenced for many years. blt they have
grown well They now measure fifteen
Ieet iu height and eight inches fa cir
conference Here iu Hama We planted
some seeds about SIX e-Ls ago. and IN
voting trees are now nearly three feet
u-gl. i understand the India rubber
product yields a good profit even when
the rubber is obtained from the re-
hottest interior of Africa and South
America. and thus IL would appear a.
IL we could plant rubber trees here %.
good advantage. but thIs is only one ar
icle. there are great many more.
The SILK Industry.
On the chance Of raising silk here.
COMMISSIONS Herbert wrote as follows
in reply TO letter from the Kameha-
meha Girls School: This is something
that has only been tried experimental
| ly in these Islands, but the cocoons so
far produced have been OF very high
| Quaiity This business requires the cuI-
tivatiOn OF the paper mulberry tree as
food iOr the worms while they are spin
ming their COcOOns and before they be-
come transformed into butterflies.
The growing Of silk worms is an avO-
cation TO which women, children. in
yalids and aged people are well adapted
\ as II involves very little labor and is
| very profitable. There is no heavy
work. and the routine is not irksOme
il one is interested in the work Ii sug-
gests itself to me. that if the trustees
i Of the Kamehameha Girls School at
Kalihi. would establish a silk industry
on scientific and modern methods. with
4 small amount Of money, say $1,000.
all those bright native girls could make
themselves independent for life. no
/ matter how small a kuleana their peo-
pie may have on the different islands.
1t does not take much land to pro-
duce $1,000 worth of silk. Any waste
| land such as the side of roads. etc, may
be utilized for mulberry growing. The
/ tree itself is of "A graceful and or
namental character. The timber has
also a commercial value. its adaptable
| ity for coOpering purposes having been
clearly proved. The land at this school
is well suited for mulberry trees. partic-
ularly below the railroad. as they will
grow in almost any soil. the only ex-
eeption being very wet or swampy
ground. The tree may be grown either
from seed, cuttings. layers or grating
on other mulberry stock. The tree
should be grown in a nursery for the
| first year IL the trustees of the school
would send some clear-headed pro-
gressive person to Japan--to gain
familiarity with this industry, a dozen
Japanese peasant women from the silk
district could be brought here to in
struet the native girls. Seed. cuttings
and plants could also be had in Japan.
In our climate we can produce
cocoons all the year round. SILK worms
may be Matched out continuously the
year round. No artificial heat is neces-
sary. In Japan and France the length
\ OF the silk season is forty-two days, in
San Diego, California, il is 210 days;
in Hawaii IL is 365 days. In Hawaii
all kinds of mulberry trees can be kept
in leaf from ten to twelve months OF
the year. In the United States the out
put vi Sin Nut
year 1898 was $40. 600. 900 and this year
/ will exceed that of France. We shall
be pleased to give any one what little
Information and knowledge we have
about the selection and cultivation of
the mulberry tree. which is the most
important business of this wonderful
Industry. Great care must be exercised
in the choice of variety as the different
kinds vary very materially in their
value for feeding silk worms. When
once the culture is established the in
dustry would increase with certainty of
great profit. The Bishop Estate with
its immense wealth may set aside a
tract of land for the homeless girls that
become proficient in the silk industry.
We urge that ii is of the very essence
OF successful life among our natives
that labor should be made attractive
and enjoyable. At present when a Ha-
waiian proprietor wishes to improve
his cultivation he has to get a person
from abroad. and yet in face of this
surprise is expressed that the intel
ligent Hawaiian youths hold away from
agriculture. They have at present no
opportunity of being trained TO become
valuable or of being fitted to fill the
leading and best paid posts, or to meet
foreign competition. This industry is
only one of many in the way of agri-
culture. The writer has been a success
full cultivator of the soil in these islands
for the past thirty years. and IL is his
desire to recommend nothing but what
he knows To be of value.
As to Other Crops.
To an inquirer as to the possibilities
Of fig culture. the answer was: For the
fiscal year ending June 30, 1898, there
was imported into the United States
| II 800. 200 pounds of figs for which vast
sums we're paid TO exporters in Turkey.
And these figs coulo be raised in Ha-
wall. and IL is not necessary to enlarge
upon the great importance Of establish
ing here the culture OF the standard
commercial fig. known as the Smyrna
| fg. When once the culture is estab-