The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-04-19

but are not the finely cultivated field!
Jf other countries. They are so poorly
| cultivated that there is great waste il
harvesting.
From start to finish the cultiyatins
| of rice is the crudest conceivable. Wher
| the crops are ripe women and children
! help to gather, thresh and hull the
grain. Threshing machines are hall
| clad Moro men, women and children
and Filipinos.
The cut grain is piled on mats and in
turn the foot machines begin to dance
, Oh the heap in almost rhythmic meas
ure. 1t is a queer and interesting sight
to see the chief food of the nation thus
crudely threshed out. But there are no
better machines here.
To hull the grain is another slow, la
borious process. a log of wood is hol-
lowed out sufficiently large to hold a few
quarts of rice; two three girls or
women stand with long sticks rounded at
each end and something like elongated
potato mashers, and with these primi-
tive ''rice-mashers'' they pound i'm ono
two-three time and accelerate the time at
pleasure.
One day we watched three girls at their
work and were much astonished at their
strength and endurance for these ''rice-
mashers' are five feet or more in length
and quite heavy, and are manipulated with
one hand, then rapidly changed to the
other for 2 rest
After the hulls are IOosened sufficiently
TO fly off. the rice is transferred to large.
fiat basket-trays and tossed up while the
wind blows the chaff away
You can readily imagine that when this
process is finally finished that the rice
Is pretty well broken to pieces but the
hard-earned meal is none the less en-
joyed by the family. who all seem TO
"a har71 IN,
ing H. They do not even resort to chop
sticks. like the Cinnamon. but scoop up
the rice with their hands. Eating poi is
not circumstance to it,
Rice, with fish, eggs and a few veg
tables, is the main dependence of all
EilipinoS and Moros
a drink called tuba is very popular.
but it is worse than whisky for Ameri-
cans. Soldiers are very fond of ii and
get crazy drunk on very little.
1t does not seem to affect the natives |
as it does white people, but that may be
because they take it moderately.
AS we passed Filipinos' little fruit |
stand last Sunday he insisted that we all |
come in and drink tuba, and he felt quite |
hurt because we refused. He was very |
friendly and thought that was the way |
TO show it
more before it was occupied by the Amer
leans the greater part of it was burned. |
A few of the store buildings were left |
standing. Some of these buildings are !
quite large and many are covered with /
tiled roofs New houses of the better |
class are built of wood and are covered |
With niDa roofs.
Within a certain block of the business
part of the town houses are required to
nave iron roofs. This makes very hot,
houses.
The nipa shack is everywhere As q
rule a nipa house. If well made, IS a
very comfortable one TO live n if II
S in good locality. 1t is a great m
1rovemeut on the old Hawaiian thatched
house which was built on he ground
minus windows and with one door.
Filipino houses are built rom i've 10
ten feet above the ground ard have
swinging nipa windows, which Heep the
house wen ventilated.
I have noticed that at night all win
lows are closed. There is much fear Of
he ''ladrone" (thie) and that may partly |
account for closed windows.
And that reminds me of . bit cf e%-
Derience which 1 have had with that
lass of people this very evening Ever
.iuce We came into this new house we
lave met with considerable loss by
hieves entering right under our noses
nd stealing That which we have missed
I