The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-06-24
FRUIT FOR
THE FAIR
Exhibit Is Being
Prepared for
st. Louis.
Experiment Station Ex-
pert Already at
Work.
J. E. Higgins in Charge Of Display
Which Is Being Made Ready
for Exposition.

does not believe that Hawaii will hav
an exhibit at the st. Louis Exposition
a visit to the United States Experiment
Station on Punchbowl will convince
him otherwise. In a small building sur
rounded by jars and bottles. and fruit
of every variety, ]. E. Higgins, Super
visor of Agriculture in the loca
schools, is hard at work preparing az
exhibit for the fair, which will dC
courage tourists and settlers to come
here than hundreds Of photographs anG
magazine articles.
AS far as the products of the soil
are concerned the exhibit to be made
I by the United States Agricultural De-
partment will be the most complete
and comprehensive of any sent from
the islands. Hawaii is to have a space
ten feet square for her agricultural
products, and it will be filled with the
choicest specimens of island fruits and
flowers and vegetables. This exhibit
is being prepared under the direction
of Special Agent Jared CT. Smith under
instructions from Jas. F. Wilson, Sec
rotary of Agriculture, and it will have
place in the general exhibit to be
made by the Department.
Mr.. Higgins work has only started.
He began the collection of specimens
-, H. Sc. of +b;. month and alraad v
has a good nucleus for a fine exhibit
ton. Most of his time so far has been
devoted to mangoes. There are be-
tween forty and fifty varieties of man
goes growing in the Hawaiian Islands"
said Mr.. Higgins yesterday, and he
pointed to the dozen or more jars al
ready filled with the fruit. The names
of the different varieties are largely in
the air." he continued, there is no
nomenclature which is reliable, for all
the varieties. We expect to get speci-
mems of all the varieties before we are
done. No. 9 is a variety which came
from Jamaica; there are several vari-
cites of the chutney mango. Some Of
them are acid and some are sweet The
Vanilla mango has somewhat of the
flavor of vanilla. The French mango
which was imported from Jamaica is
of Indifferent flavor. 1t is too strong.
The common sweet mango is hard to
get in good condition, it is subject to
the attack of a blight"
Some of the mangoes obtained by Mr..
are too large to go through
the top of gallon fruit jar, and these
will be sent in kegs to be put in muse
um jars at Washington or st. Louis. |
Formalin is being used to preserve the |
fruits. 1t is said to be better than al |
cohol, and preserves fruit colors bet |
ter than the old form of preservative. |
Mt. Higgins has also a No. and No. |
Il mango. The latter was imported by |
Mr.. Marsden when he was Commits |
sioner of Agriculture.
"Our exhibit will include all the pro-
ducts of the islands," said Mr.. Hig-
gins. Most of our work will be done
n Honolulu. for the fruits can be bet
er packed here than on the other ISL
lnds. Still we will not confine our
selves to this island exclusively. and
he other islands will be visited to fill
tut the collection. Our display of man
,oes Will be most elaborate, for that
ruit has been here the longest. and
here are more varieties. But the exhibit
will include everything. pomegran-
ties. alligator pears. yams, coffee.
-anIlla beans, sisal. bananas, pineap-
lies. oranges. papaias. in fact every
hing. The alligator pears cannot be
obtained yet but our exhibit does not
ave to be sent on until October. Most
I the fruit. we pick. just before it IS
ipe. it has a better color then, and is
asier preserved.
Yes, We will send a big assortment
Z oranges. There are some fine oran-
.es here, and they are of good flavor.
II course there are none that would
axe the place of the navel orange in
he markets OF the world, but Il Is
My because the oranges here lack Gull
walton and care and plant breeding.
Ve can produce just as good an orange
: the navel here. The Hawaiian
range is juicy and OF fine flavor and
nth care fruit for export could be +
blamed" II
Most Of the fruit is being packed in
allon jars. though some is put in
mailer Jars. So far the work of Mr..
Higgins has been confined almost eX-
lusively 10 the mango, though all Of !
he island fruits are to be included. :
r. Higgins has a fine specimen Of the
bina orange which was obtained from ]