The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1900-09-21
EARLY DAYS
OF SUGAR
The Beginnings of the
Industry.
A PLANTERS NOTEBOOK
How Forests Were Denuded to
Make Fuel for the Infant
Sugar Mills.

nifty to look back into one of his diaries
with notations therein as far back as
1855, from which interesting comparl-
sons of the growth of the sugar indus
try of that day with the present can
be made. Some of his entries are of
plantations then in their infancy. and
which today stand in the foremost
ranks of the sugar producers and divi-
dend payers Of Hawaii.
Plantations which were then growing
a few acres of cane and using the forest
woods for fuel to grind and boil the
product, were spoken of with proph-
cts vision and keen foresight into the
ultimate results of the cane growing
industry here. .e.- -
In the early days forest wood was one
of the principal factors in reducing
cane to the moasses and sugar form.
This probably accounts for the early
denudation of the mountain ranges.
When 1t took 1000 cords of wood for
100 tons of cane, there is little doubt
that In the early SOS and COS. and even
down through the EOS thousands upon
thousands of cords Of wood were sacri-
fcedSto makA the sugar industry a
thriving one. The notebook is 6ed
with the jottings Of the writer when he
was on a tour of the islands of Hawaii,
Maui and Oahu. inspecting the various
plantations then in existence, gathering
statistics of their production, amount
of cane land under cultivation, and out
side land that might be used for cane
growing, and the general prospects of
each.
Speaking of Lihue plantation, the fol-
lowing note written as of the year 1857,
Is interesting:
Commenced grinding October 1S, 1857.
December 4th had made about fifty-five
tons, including Mr.. Widemann's. First
six acres of ratoons (blown DOWN
ground in four days, made 1i.527 pounds
of sugar. first boiling; $500 pounds of
sugar second boiling, and about 60
pounds of molasses.
1.-THE next six acres about the same
quantity though n little less the first
boiling, and more the second. 1t aver
aged 424 pounds per clarifier of juice,
and 1874 pounds per cart load Nof cane.
"Estimated cost of coolers at plan
tation SIS each. Cost of iron coolers In
Boston. of same size. $25. Mr. Pierce
In his letter to j. F. b. NJ. estimates the
crop at $4,000.
"In July 1855. Mr.. Webster did the
leveiing for 'water-lead' at Lihue. jan
uary s, 1858: A little more than half,
possibly two-thirds, through with the
watered cane; making eleven and
twelve tons per week. January g. 1858:
Finished grinding the rattoons, and the
crop is supposed to be half in. One hun
dred and twenty tons made to date.
Sugar sold to January l, average, ten
cents. January to February 18th,
eight cents.
Kaiwiki plantation at Hlo. in which
water power was used as motive pow
er in the mills, Is spoken of as it was
in 1S62-63. when the first crop was TAX
EN- off. One. hundred and twenty tons
were made. for which 1000 cords of
firewood were used. Eight hundred bar
rels of molasses was the result. Mr.
Wyllie. the notebook says, took off
eighty-five tons from the Tltcomb plan
tation in 1868.
August, ls63.-The Makee plantation
IS said to have 700 acres in cane. and
200 acres of ground plowed for planting
Mr. Castle says they will plant 200 acres
at Kohala this season. Part of 1t is
already planted.
Eat Kaiwiki they cut about sixty to
seventy acres, and let twenty acres
stand to ripen.
l"Onomea, Hilo, belongs to s. L. Aus
tin, j. w. Austin and e. II. Allen. Has
'vate power machinery. Has cast-iron
rams and mill dixie Wyllie's), iron water
wheel and coolers. and copper Kettle
ordered from Glasgow. VIII cut In
season 1S63-G4. 300 acres. In February,
1864, S. l.. Austin estimated first crop,
200 tons. Machinery cost in Glasgow,
100000
"Waihee. Maui. belongs to C. II. Lew
ers on lease at $1,000 per annum. Water
pow. abundant and water for irrlga-
ton. The machinery Is to be driven by
water power, and was ordered from
Scotland Wood Is not abundant, but
- says he can purchase wood deliy-
cred on the place. at $3.50 per cord.
"Waikapu plantation belongs to
James Lonzara and N. Cornwall. The
mill and two engines were made by Il.
Hughes. Plantation Is cultivated with
irrigation; no water power; have Just
finished the nrst crop august 1859. |
LonzaEa says there Is $4,000 invested
there
"Union plantation. Maui cost 1900. |
In January. 1864, the crop Is estimated
from 500 to 700 tons.
oahu plantation. Judd, Wilder and
Judd. Planted nine acres In 1862 and
$50 acres In 1868. b., .- t,'G !. /
February II. 1864. s. Peck says they
used 400 piles" (674 cordsJ of wood In /
making 260 tons sugar at Haiku, and |
that Makee does not use over two cords |
per day in making three to four tons
of sugar
February 26. 1S64.-Mr. Waller says
they have used three cords OF wood for |
each ton of sugar made on Metcalf's |
plantation. and that the wood near at |
hand Ia nearly consumed and that they |
will have 10 build a railway three and !
one-haif to four miles to the wood land. |
He estimates that the area OF the two I
Hakaiau below the woods at about 1900
acres and thinks there are not more ,
than 800 tons OF cane land on the Haka-
lau belonging TO Haalelea undlsputed. |
The expense for clearing this land and /
making. roads. especially a road from
the beach. would be very heavy. Tim
Der makai nearest the beach is lauhala.
ohia. kukui. etc. next. -neneleau; then.