Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1901-11-30

southern inhabited island OF this
archipelago of the Pacific ocean, and
contains within its boundary fully 100000
acres of land. Its most central portion lies
in north latitude 16 degrees 80 minutes, west
longitude 1856 degrees 80 minutes. The Isl
anG of Hawaii Is some 100 miles In length
and about seventy-five miles in width, and
although the raising of sugar cane Is now
the leading industry and commercial back
bone of the island 1t has been practically
demonstrated that the soils of the island,
which are classified as dark red, yellow,
light red and sedimentary, will permit of
the successful raising OF other products,
such as vegetables, fruits, etc.
There is, perhaps, no other island In the
Hawaiian group that has engaged more In
general and diversified agriculture than Ha
wall. and yet after all said the capabilities
of the soil and climate have not as yet been
sufficiently tested to fully determine their
value along these lines from commercial
standpoint.
On the Island of Hawaii sugar is the
principal product At one time stOck.rais-
ing formed the principal industry of the
island, but the large area of land now de-
voted to the growing of sugar cane has lin
tied the ranges. In 1898 the Department Of
Agriculture published a bulletin upon the
sugar interests of Hawaii, in which 1t was
stated that:
"The production of sugar employs the
major portion Of the capital and labor upon
the Hawaiian Islands; 1t also furnishes the
bulk Of the exports, and provides the wealth
and maintenance OF the great majority II
the people.
1T is about sixty years since sugar was
first produced for sale upon the islands. At
that time the methods of cultivation and
manufacture were very crude and the pro-
duction was small Even so late as the
year 1880 the total output is recorded as
having been 10000 tons. Without taking
the time and care to traverse each stage
in detail In order to show the ups and
downs of the industry and by what efforts
IL has reached the present dimensions. 1t
will be sufficient to state the total value Of
Hawaiian exports for 1897 and the proper
tion of that value accruing from the ship
ment of sugar: The total Of Hawaiian ex-
ports for the year named amounted to &c.
021,775.19, while the sales of sugar amount
ed to 1880, 422.13. These figures present
at a glance both the sum of the trade which
the islands transacted In 1897 with foreign
countries lover 80 per cent of which was
with the United States) and the dominant
and vital part that sugar plays In the in
dustrial existence of the country"
There are some thirty plantations now
in operation on the Island of Hawaii, each
one having its own mill or factory equipped
for the manufacture OF raw sugar. The
sugar-growing and sugarmaking capacities
of these estates vary between less than 1900
tons up to 10000 and $4,000 tons Of sugar
per annum. while other mills now In course
of erection have greater capacities.
Much of the low, level. sedimentary areas
bordering on the seashore Ia used for grow.
ing sugar. while the areas of rich, dark.red
soils. located at comparatively low attitudes
are used exclusively for this purpose. Very