The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-12-12
OUTLOOK
At WAHIAWA
COLONY READY TO BRANCH OUT
WILL START A STORE AND A
PINEAPPLE CANNERY.

The farmers on the wahiawa colony
state that the cut worm, while dan
gerous to crops, is not as bad as it has
been in former years, and is in fact
disappearing with the increased culti-
walton of the soil. The colony is thriv-
ing and preparing to extend general
operations
I'VE are glad to get the parasites
sent out to us by Professor Perkins,"
said one, of the colonists yesterday,
land we will make good use of them,
but on my farm and on those of many
of the rest of us the cut worms has not
been nearly so destructive of late.
1T seems as if constant cultivation
of the soil rendered the latter distaste-
full to the cut worm, though this is of
course an unscientific view of it. All
we know is that our crops are in better
shape of late. Our chief trouble is with
a fly that lays it's eggs in the young
| cucumbers and tomatoes and kills the
young fruit 1t does the same thing
with 'canteloupes and a remedy would
! be much appreciated as canteloupes
would be a very valuable and sought
after crop in Honolulu. The fly cam
, not tackle the watermelon as the rind
! is too hard but the young canteloupe
! skin is soft and easily blistered.
THE colony is slowly progressing
J I0ln&S
on a large scale 1t took some time to
get acquainted with conditions. The
soil we have is extremely productive
and in the opinion of the experts needs
but little artificial aid. An analysis
shows it to be full of plant growing
qualities and the secret has been to APP
ply just sufficient fertilizer to give the
young plants a start after which they
strengthened and found all the nour-
ishment they want in the natural soil.
I I'VE expect to have a store of our
own in town very soon and also employ
our own commission agents on the
coast to sell any products that we ship
there. We had a store here in Homo
lulu last year, but it was only a small
affair, though quite satisfactorily. 1t
was used exclusively for the sale Of
pineapples at retail. We were selling
the fruit to the regular dealers at from
$3.50 to $500 a dozen, and they were re-
failing them at big prices up to forty
and fifty cents. The consequence was
| that while we got no more for our pines
1.-THE public were buying them but SPAR
ingly at the retail price, and half our
output was going to waste, at least
that portion Which had been reserved
and allowed to ripen in anticipation of
! the local market. We opened our store
and put the price to twenty-five cents
which gave a fair profit. AS a result
the other stores had to come down in
prices and the sale of pineapples was
more than doubled.
I'VE expect next to open a general
colony store which will be attractive in
appearance and will carry a stock of
all the various products of the colony.
The prices will be put on a reasonable
scale commensurate with fair profit,
and the Honolulu public will be able to
buy home grown vegetables fresh every
, day. OF course we cannot grow every
! thing at Wahiawa, but practically ev.
erything can be furnished. Potatoes
alone do not prosper as we would like
them to, but we will discover their sec
ret in time"
A pineapple cannery is to start oper-
atoms at Wahiawa in time for the
is now on it's way around the Horn and
will be set up on arT!T--' The pine
apple crop of Wahiawa is a very large
one and will be increased as the de-
mand enlarges. The cannery is so ar
ranged that a very little additional ex-
pense can greatly augment it's turn
out. The cOlonists have no complaints
as to their water supply, regulated by
contract with the Waialua plantation.
1t is abundant and regular, the Land
constituting the natural watershed be-
tween the north and south forks of a
mountain stream while the mountains
back of the colony are continually i'm
mersed in showers.