The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1903-02-17
MONEY IN
VANILLA
John KidwelI Made a
Fine Profit on
Beans.

John Kidwell, the veteran agricultur-
list talked instructively yesterday about
| small farming. Speaking of vanilla
beans, he said
II tried them in a small way, many
years ago on tract "a by 40 situated on
Beretania street. 1 got cuttings from
Mexico and planted them around the
fence. Inside of three years the vines
matured and l transferred the pollen to
the productive flowers, using for the
purpose a scissors point. This was the
hardest work in the venture, but it paid
and out of the little garden l got $50
pounds of fine vanilla beans All but
about 90 pounds I sent away as sam
pies. Those which went to London
brought back complimentary letter in
which l was asked to send 500 pounds
with which to try the market. A New
York house wrote that the beans were
as good as those from Tahiti. which
Gdin't please me. because l thought
them better. The crop had left sold
to HOLSTER & Co. for six dollars per
pound, realizing $500 on the deal. Sew
eral capitalists, among them 2. S.
Spalding, wanted to back me on large
scale, but 1 was getting interested in
pineapples and let the matter drop.
But / showed what could be done. If
one should put out a large acreage,
planting the rows five feet apart and
the cuttings one foot apart, and making
sure of enough labor during the two or
three months when the flowers are
ready to marry 1 believe there would
be money in it."
The best grades of vanilla beans
have sold in London for as much as $40
per pound and We're lately quoted at
so. Mr.. Kidwell thinks the labor on
vanilla farm would be suitable for
japanese women, and says that about
twenty-five to the acre might be re-
uuired for three months in the year.
, ssssssssssssss
! agents of the police department.
L. A. McInerny SAID that the COM
petition of agents was being felt heavi-
ly, the jobbing trade in shoes for in
stance being killed by this sort of COM
petition. The agents spent no money
but took cash out of the country. W.
w. Hall said that he found the same in
his line of trade and that the money
taken out of the country was a serious
| loss. Mr.. Wakefield said that the prin-
| cipal competition was from the agents
and commission men who could do bust
ness on practically no expense. To put
a tax on legitimate small trade would
work a hardship as the dealers had a
hard year.
| l.. f. Pinkham said that he repre-
scented the Builders and Traders Ex-
change and would propose three meas
ures Building and sanitary regula-
tions and labor bill. The caucus did
not have time to read all bills but Mr..
Pinkham read the labor bill This
| al 1,I
ployed on public work of the Territory
or any political subdivision shall be
citizens or eligible to become citizens,
except in emergency when the chief ex-
ecutive authority may permit the en-
ployment of non-citizens for a short
time. Eight hours shall constitute a
| days work and there is a penalty
! clause which provides fine and i'm
prisonment FOR infraction of law. The
caucus decided that it could not take
| such bills and suggested that they
should be given to some Representa-
tive to introduce. Senator Isenberg
suggested that all such things should be
proposed in duplicate for the benefit OF
Senators and Representatives.
The Rev. w. d. Westervelt then pro-
posed the local option law which will
have the support of the temperance
people. 1t takes the form of a new
section of the county bill and is as
follows:
Sec. 373a. On receipt of petition sign
ed by 200 of the qualified voters of any
county. district, ward or precinct that
an election shall be held to determine
whether Intoxicating liquors shall or
shall not be sold as a beverage therein,
the governor shall order an election to
be held under the existing regulations
not less than thirty nor more than
forty days thereafter at which such
question shall be submitted to the vot-
ers of such county, district, ward or
precinct.
The register of voters of the last pre-
Vious election shall be used and the
election boards of same act except in
cases where the election is held at the
same time as the regular election.