The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-05-31

the Hawaiians proved themselves to be.
In few years the Pioneer Mill Co.
bought the newly erected mill. took up
what leases the West Maui Sugar Asso-
citation held, and since then there has
not been land enough left vacant for
any other plantations to gain foot
hold.
Succeeding years have seen several
changes in the ownership of the Pioneer
Mill Co. Its growth has been parallel
with that of other large sugar planta-
tons of the islands. What was appar-
entity n drawback a few years ago
scarcity of water-has been overcome
by the sinking of wells and the erection
of pumping plants. Now the company
has only the common need Of all of the
Hawaiian plantations-nore hands for
the cane fields. and good prices for
sugar.
Lahaina Today: The place can be
described quite accurately in the short
expression. lone vast sugar planta
ton" To a person approaching from
the sea it presents a beautiful, quiet.
inviting scene, the tree covered strip
near the shore with it's tall cocoanuts
and wide spreading "monkey-pods" be-
ing very noticeable. Back and beyond
is the lighter green of the cane fields,
extending several miles either way
along the coast and from two to two
and a half miles up the hill sides:
higher yet is the bare red of the I'M
watered slopes, shading into gray in
the grassy regions; and finally come
the tree-covered SUBMITS, which are
much of the time half obscured from
view by the clouds. Here in these
heights is the source OF the surface
water, which makes its way in never
failing streams TO the plantation
bitches and serves for the irrigation of
the upland cane. Here, also, is the
head of the abundant underground
flow which. through the pumping sta
tions. is made to water the lowland
cane. Lahaina is on the leeward side
of West Maui. and, consequently, the
lowlands receive very light rainfall
There was. however. certainly time
in some past geological period when
West Maui was deluged with rain,
which cut away the mountain sides,
washed out deep, narrow valleys, and
deposited the fertile detritus on the
lowlands and in the adjacent sea- II
such way was made the fiat part of
Lahaina, which is OF considerable ex-
tent. very rich, and comparatively FREE,
from stones, the soil being in many
places twenty feet deep.
Comparatively few land owners are
using their own water. and in conse-
quence there are very few persons Gull
tivating more than house shrubbery.
Some scattering banana patches, a
dozen or so vegetable gardens cultivat-
ed by japanese, and a moderate sized
lime orchard-all very good. but small
represent the total amount of local
farming done independent of and I'M
related 10 the sugar industry A flock
o. chickens or a small pen OF pigs is
occasionally met. but there is plenty of
room and a good market for more good
chickens. Several Japanese are making
profit from milk cows The difficulty
Is to get good green feed. Cane tops
are the common feed of horses, hut
these are not so good for cows. The
leafy branches of mlmosa, which grows
wild in gulches and has to be cut out
OF the cane fields. make the test milk
food ,
Lahaina has considerable white
population, nearly all being plantation
employees: of churches there are sew
eral: of schools. one graded grammar
school. and one Catholic school of about