The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-01-27
THE FIRST
FARMERS
INSTITUTE
Colonists
Prepare for
Future.
JARED SMITH THE
FIRST PRESIDENT
Colony Now Has Promise of Water
and Hopes TO feed Homo.
lulu Market.
q MALL farming in Hawaii was

q MALL farming in Hawaii was
given a decided impetus at an en-
~ thusiastic meeting of Wahiawa
colonists Saturday evening at which
the Farmers Institute of Hawaii"
was formally launched. Jared G. Smith.
director Of the Agricultural Experiment
Station was unanimously elected Pres
ident. and he is empowered to appoint
committees who will arrange further
Institutes to be held In all parts Of the
Territory. An interesting feature OF
the meeting was the reading of a letter
from Governor Sanford B. Dole. warm
Iy commencing the efforts Of the small
farmer and saying that the future of
the islands depended upon the growth
of a farming class in these islands.
though predicting that this growth
must Of necessity be slow.
VISIT TO THE COLONY.
The following Honolulu people drove
out to the Wahfawa colony Friday and
Saturday: Mr.. T. F. Sedgwick. assist
ant director OF agriculture, and Mrs
Sedgwick, d. L. Van Dine, Professor
Higgins. Mr.. Krauss and Mr. Austin
Saturday the members of the party
were shown over the district by Byron
O. Clark and others of the farmers of
the community. and were both sur /,
prised and pleased at the success which .
has already been attending the efforts
Of the California colonists. Up to the
present time the Wahiawa farmers
have been laboring under a great dis
advantage, namely, the lack of water,
and have been entirely dependent
upon rainfall. there being no irrigation.
Now, however, very satisfactory ar
rangements have been made with the
waialua Agricultural Co, by which the
farmers of wahiawa will secure all the
water needed, and the greatest diff
crIty will then be done away with. In
two weeks time they expect to have
water in abundance for every purpose,
and at less expense than any farming
in the Territory.
The colonists have also had to con-
tend with the acidity or rawness OF the
soil. and II has cost in the neighbor-
hood OF fifteen dollars per acre to put
1t into condition for successful culti-
walton. The great distance from their
market with accompanying bad roads
Is also a serious drawback. but IL grad
Ing was done. particularly IN two OF I
the worst gulches between Wahiawa {
and Honolulu. It would be a great help , ,
towards marketing their produce in ,
this city. The ravages of insects Is {
also a great problem: the methods
which prove effective in other countries J
being OF little practical use in Hawaii I
owing to climatic conditions. Years /
.go the tract now occupied by the Wa y
,ia1ya colony was a great sandal wood
Forest. and as late as 1874 it was still .
covered with these trees: Up to the t
ime the colony took possession it had
,een used as a stock ranch, and it re-
,uired a great deal of time and labor n
o clear the land for planting If the :.
sruers receive the proper encourage =
rent I'm Honolulu they will attempt to il
supply the entire market with fresh L
Vegetables. The one trouble in the
ast has been that their supply of prod
ice could not be continuous because Il
Z the lack of water, but the irrigation n
roblem is now solved. and there will :. .
e no further difficulty on that score ~
,ecause of the limited market each Il
IAN will be forced into special farm 1t
ng. and this is already being done to l.
ONE extent n,
The alligator pear Is doing well and it
be peach trees are also in fine condi-, II