The Hawaiian gazette., 1902-08-29
PRODUCTS
OF HAWAII
AGardener'sN
On Island
Crops.


publication, has the following article
from the pen Of Donald Mclntyre, head
gardener Of Moanalua
As everyone In the horticultural
world knows, sugar Is the staple in
dustry. and Is largely cultivated
throughout the Islands. u was Guilt
waited In very small quantities before
1876, when a treaty ~ commercial reel
procity with the United states came
into effect. Under the provisions Of
this treaty an era Of unexpected pros
perity set In. and the production ~
sugar, as well as rice, increased more
than was ever anticipated Large bar
rem tracts Of land were brought into
cultivation by extensive irrigation, some
of the bitches being forty miles In
length, carried through dense woods
tunnelled through rock, and spanning
wide canOns. The Eva Plantation, near
Honolulu, is one OF the largest and
finest in the islands. About 10000
acres are taken up with the various
plantations, with a yearly yield OF
] about 1850 tons Of sugar. II requires
an average of eighteen months for
crop to mature, the ordinary yield being
| three and one-haf tons TO the acre;
/ yet on specially rich alluvial soil, IL Is
sometimes as great as nine tons to the
acre.
! Next in importance comes rice. Its
culture Is principally carried on by the
Chinese, and in the san Francisco mar
ket 1t grades with the best coming
/ from China. The ground Is plowed and
well narrowed the field is then sub
merged, the water being allowed TO
stand until the crop ripens, when 1t Is
| drawn off. The method of cultiVating
is crude and primitive. The Chinaman
sows the seed thckly in "A small field;
when the plants are about six inches
high, they are pulled up and taken to
! the field for planting where they are
set out In the mud by hand in rows
about eight inches apart. When ma
| tured the water is drawn off to allow
the straw to ripen The crop is then
cut with the sickle. No threshing ma
chimes are used by the Chinese rice
grower but the grain is separated from
the chaff by being beaten out with the
hoofs of horses or Chinese cattle, as
In ancient times.
Coffee Is cultivated, but not to a
large extent, although Hawaiian, or
| Kona coffee takes n high place among
the best coffees OF the world; the trees
are grown anywhere, from the sea-level
up to $500 feet above the sea. one of
the greatest difficulties to contend with
is insect blight which Is greatly kept in
check by peculiar parasites, and lady
birds that have been introduced for
each kind of insect. The cultivation
of tea is carried on with good results,
the best quality of leaf being obtained
on the higher elevations. The high
price Of labor prevents It's more extern
sive cultivation.
Hemp has been experimental with,
and pronounced by experts to be of
a good strong description. The expense
of cultivation is triling, and the yield
per acre is about thirteen and one-h half
tons. Ramie, or vegetable silk, grows
luXuriantly, but the industry is not de-
velOped, owing to ..e want OF suitable
machinery.
The soil and climate Of Hawaii can
not be eXcelled for the production of
tropical and sub-tropical fruits, and
their introduction has added largely to
the prosperity of the islands. especially
so in the case of semi-tropical fruits
such as the alligator pear, banana, lime
I(citrus limctta), orange and lemon. The
alligator pear grows TO large size,
and the fruit is of "A superior quality.
The flesh is of butter consistency. with
a nutty flavor, and 1t makes a delicious
dressing for salads, the largest of these
heads is about six inches long, and
weighs upwards of three pounds. The
mango grows in great profusion, and
/ several varieties are used for making
chutney the best varieties having been
] iTr1n,rf4I IL
is an evergreen with small glossy
! leaves; and a gum which eNudcs from
the trunk of the tree is used in medi-
cine. 1t bears fruit several months of
the year, and IT Is not unusual to find
trees with fruits on one side and bios
| SONS ON the other.
/ Cocounuts grow an along the sea-
shore. or any spot whore nothing else
will grow; but they are now very little
cultivated The sapodlla, soursop
| pomelo, cherimoya. custard-apple, pa
paw, Citron, watermelon, granadilla,
pomcgranate, and tamarind are some Of
the desirable exotic fruits that do well
in the islands. Vegetables of all de-
scriptiohs are raised throughout the
year, and water and cantaloupe melons
are superior To those grown in most
countries. Pincapples grow wild on all
the Islands; there are some twenty five
varieties taking their names from the
localities whence they are obtained,
Near Pearl City, some eight miles from
Honolulu, a plantation of an excellent
variety exists. The average weight OF
the fruits is eight pounds, although the
fruits of some varieties have been
known TO reach weight of seventeen
pounds. The pineapple season is from
the middle of the month OF May &c
the middle of August.
Bananas are raised in great quanti-
ties and shipped to the west coast OF
the United States, the cost of cultiva-
ton being very small. Along the noun.
tain ranges are trees and vines In
luxuriant growth, forests Of mag