The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-09-21
EARLY DAYS
OF SUGAR
The Beginnings of the
Industry.
A PLANTERS NOTEBOOK
How Forests Were Denuded to
5 Make Fuel for the Infant
Sugar Mills.

One of the Oldest sugar planters in
the Islands has given US an opportu
nifty to look back into one of his diaries
1855, from which interesting COMPARE
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 We're then growing
a few acres of cane and using the forest
woods for fuel to grind and boil the
product, were spoken Of with a proph-
cts vision and q keen foresight into the
ultimate results of the cane growing
industry here.
In the early days forest wood was one
of the principal factors in reducing
cane to the molasses and sugar form.
This probably accounts for the early
denudation Of the mountain ranges.
When it took 1000 cords of wood for
120 tons of cane, there is little doubt
ludl III Tic Sdliy ~ anu w ., iAlo CIV Ga
down through the 70's thousands upon
thousands of cords of wood were sacri-
feed to make the sugar industry a
thriving one. The notebook is filled
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 Is. 1857
December 4th had made about fifty-five
tons, including Mr. Widenlanns. FRS
six acres of ratoons blown down,
ground in four days, made 14,527 pound:
of sugar first boiling; $500 pounds o.
sugar second boiling, and about g.
pounds of molasses.
THE next six acres about the same
quantity, though little less the frs
boiling, and more the second. 1t aver
| aged 424 pounds per clarifier of juice
and 134 pounds per cart load of cane.
| ESTIMATED cost of coolers at plan.
tation SIS each. Cost of iron coolers ir
Boston, of same size, $25. Mr.. Pierce
in his letter to j. f. B. M. estimates the
crop at $4,000.
I'm July, 1855, Mr.. Webster did tn,
leveling for 'water-lead at Lihue. Jan
uary s, 1858: A little more than half
possibly two-thirds, through with tn,
watered cane; making eleven ant
twelve tons per week. January rs, 1858
Finished grinding the rattoons, and thu
Icrop is supposed to be half in. One hun
dred and twenty tons made to date
Sugar sold to January 1. average. tel
cents. January l to February 18th
eight cents.
Kaiwiki plantation at Hilo in which
water power was used as motive pow
er in the mills, is spoken of as it wa
in 1928, when the first crop was TAX
en- off. One hundred and twenty tom
were made, for which 1000 cords O
firewood were used Eight hundred bar
rels of molasses was the result. Mr.
Wyllie, the notebook says, took of
eighty-five tons from the Titcomb plan
tation in 1868.
August, 1S63.-The Makee plantation
is said to have 700 acres in cane, an,
200 acres of ground plowed for planting
Mr.. Castle says they will plant 200 acre
at Kohala this season. Part of it i
already planted.
AT KaiwiN they cut about sixty t
seventy acres, and let twenty acre
stand to ripen.
"Onomea, Hio, belongs to S. L. Aus
tin, j. w. Austin and e. H. Allen. Ha
waite power machinery. Has cast-irol
pans and mill Oil1e Wyllie's), iron waite
wheel and coolers, and copper KEITH
tOr fro,, Z,
season 1S63-64, 800. acres. In February
1864, S. l.. Austin estimated first crop
100 tons. Machinery cost in Glasgow
$4,000.
"Waihee Maui, belongs to c. II. Lew
ers on lease at $1,000 per annum. Waite
powef abundant and water for irriga
ton. The machinery is to be driven b.
water power, and was ordered from
Scotland. Wood is not abundant, bu
-- says he can purchase wood deliv
cred on the place, at $3.50 per cord.
'Waikapu plantation belongs t
James Lonzara and n. Cornwall. TIL
mill and two engines were made by T
Hughes. Plantation is cultivated will
irrigation; no water power; have jus
finished the nrst crop august, 1859
Lonzara says there is $4,000 invested
there.
Union plantation, Maui, cost s27 SOC
In January, 1864, the crop is estimated
from 500 to 700 tons.
oahu plantation, Judd, Wilder ant
Judd. Planted nine acres in 1852, ant
$50 acres in 1863
February IT. 1864. s. Peck says the.
used 400 piles (674 cords) of wood il
making 260 tons sugar at Haiku, anC
that Makee does not use over two cord
per day in making three to four ton!
of sugar
February 26, 1Se4.-Mr. Waller say'
they have used three cords of wood fo
each ton of sugar made on Metcalf':
plantation, and that the wood near a
hand is nearly consumed. and that they
will have to build a railway three anc
one-half to four miles to the wood land
He estimates that the area Of the tive
Hakalau below the woods at about 1,50'
acres and thinks there are not more
than 800 tons of cane land on the Haka-
lau belonging to Haalelea undisputed
The expense for clearing this land and
making roads, especially road from
the beach, would be very heavy. Tim.
Der makai nearest the beach is lauhala
ohia, kukui, ETC., next, neneleau; then
various kinds of wood, and above all
the forest of koa.
.srT-l.z W.