The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1901-02-01
FAVORABLE
CONDITIONS
Local Lemon Growers
Are Sanguine.
ahead OF COAST FRUITS
Credit is Gwen to Professor koebeIe
for Importation of
lady-bird.

Lemon growing as an industry has
not reached proportions in Hawaii
where 1t can be considered successful
from an agricultural standpoint, but in
certain parts of Honolulu and the sur
rounding valleys are to be seen many
trees of the Sicilian species bearing
fruit which would warm the cookies Of
an agriculturist's heart. Up to within
a few years ago it was impossible TO
attempt growing lemons, or in fact any
varieties of the citrus family, on ar-
count of the scale which destroyed the
usefulness of the fruit.
In Nuuanu and Manoa valleys the ST.
Gillian lemons planted few years since
are bearing with remarkable success,
the fruit being in most cases larger
than an ordinary sized orange with a
rough skin, beautifully colored to a
golden hue when ripe. Lemons of this
variety have been brought to town
from various orchards in Nuuanu, the
| fruit there being larger than any so fl"
grown in Manoa valley. Some of the
| lemons are four inches in diameter,
beautifully colored, rich with juice, and
make q lemonade which has no com
parison with the juice of the fruit hail
ing from California or other Mainland
points. The lime, which is now grown
extensively in the Islands, is cheaper
to produce than the lemon and at pres
ent brings in more revenue than that
to be derived from the same number of
lemons. The lime, however, makes q
less tasty lemonade than the Stella II
lemon.
Commissioner of Agriculture Wray
TAYLOR states that there would have
been no growth for either the lime or
the lemon had it not been for the earn
est efforts of Professor Koebele, Gov
ernment entomologist AT one time the
trees would not bear.
Koebela interested himself in discov-
ering remedy to eradicate the de-
structive scale and imported the We
dalia Cardinals, or ladybug, which at
tackled the cotton-like cushion scale
and succeeded in clearing it out.
The ladybird had previously been in
strumental in clearing out the scale
from the California orchards. Koebele
also procured the Cryptolaemus, or
species of the ladybird, which works
on the citrus trees of the lemon ana
orange varieties, and destroyed the
blight. The blights on lime and lemon
trees in Hawaii are almost wholly de
stroyed. If blight is to be seen upon
any of these trees, the ladyblrds are
sure to be waiting about in their vi
cinity and making fierce attack upon
what they either deem their enemies
or their regular sources of food supply
The greatest trouble which Professor
Koebee has in getting the blight scale
destroyed with the assistance of his i'm.
portations of the ladybugs, is in
preventing the ants from working into
it also. The ladybirds will not touch
the ants, and in some instances the val
us Of their work is materially affec ted
by this pest.
Seeds for the Sicilian lemon We're
brought here from California and dis
tributed to many people who take an
especial interest in the rearing of fruits
of a rare class. At present the lemon
industry Is worth cultivating, as the
present regulations of the Territorial
Government strictly prohibit the i'm
portation of lines, lemons and other
citrus fruits from the South Seas or
Australia, and the supplies are depend
ent almost entirely upon local produc-
ton.
This regulation has been enforced on
account of the presence of the maggot-
flies, which are destructive, and their
introduction in larger numbers Is not
to be desired. For the same reason
California is guarding against the INF
portation of soils from Hawaii, Tahiti
or the South Seas in order that any
blight, scale or pests of the insular ex-
porting countries may not be introduce
ed. Having succeeded in finding de-
stroyer for the citrus fruit blight. Pro-
fessor Koebele has now turned almost
his entire attention to the destruction
of the cane borer by means of fungus
and the Japanese beetle, with fair signs
of success.