The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1903-10-27

There are wonderful openings for the
fruit grower in Hawaii according to
Byron o. Clark, the head of the Wa
hiawa colony. Mr.. Clark read a paper
at the Farmers Institute meeting on
Saturday last upon THE Possibilities
of Fruit Growing in Hawaii" in which
he sees success for those who wish to
| make the experiment. Mr.. Clark has
grown in Hawaii and what he says is
| the opinion of an expert.
Mr. Clark's paper was as follows:
The possibilities of fruit growing in
Hawaii are to be measured by the
ability of those engaged in the industry
| to make the most of whatever advan-
tages for production are possessed
climatically, and of our location as a
distributing point for the worlds mar
kets: and on the other side, their abil-
! ity to overcome the natural disadvan-
tages that exist.
FREEDOM FROM FROST.
| Our immunity from frost and devas-
| tating storms is an advantage that
| Florida and California would pay mil
| lions to possess. If they could secure
| the same protection by any scientific
means they would gladly give the half
| of their possessions and consider it
| good investment. But our climate is
| not perfect for fruit growing except in
| the sheltered valleys or to the leeward
| of sheltering timber: the one great
| climatic drawback is the wind during
| the spring months. Not by its force is
| it destructive, so much as from some
| property-excess of chlorine or other
| element-with which it is laden during
| that season of the year. With protec-
| ton from this wind, the long list of
| tropical fruits and many of the tenn
/ perate zone can be grown on these ISL
! ands to perfection, by selecting proper
soil and altitude. The whitening ef-
/ feet of the wind is not confined to the
tropical fruits, for three days of this
| wind will destroy a most promising
crop of peaches when they are first set
| ting, if the trees are unprotected by a
| wind-break of some kind. 1t is not un-
| conquerable as are the elements our
mainland friends have to contend with;
| good break-wind of any suitable tree,
| WILL in three or four years, give al
most complete protection to such trees
and plants as are injuriously affected
| by it, and it is not such an obstacle
to overcome as to in any way prevent
the planting of all kinds of fruits in
their proper location.
| MUST FIGHT PESTS.
| Insect pests of many kinds have been
| imported, Gas also have their parasites
| in many cases). These are to be found
| in all fruit growing sections and 1T is
| only by constant warfare that any
| merchantable fruit is produced in most
| sections of the civilized world, today.
We shall have to enter the field and
| fight the same as others If we expect
| to be successful. 1t is only a cues
4 ton of methods, scientifically applied,
| to assure us the same degree of sue
| cess that other countries attain. 1t
| should be easier to maintain COM
| parative degree of successful warfare
in small insular country like ours
/ than on the mainland with thousands
| of miles under cultivation and with
unlimited transportation facilities,
| which accelerate the dissemination of
| insect pests as well as the commodities
| of commerce. Five years ago in my
/ report as commissioner of agriculture,
| I called attention to the increased dan
ger of importing various agricultural
/ enemies with the advent Of annexation
and the consequent increase of COM
merce. This prediction has been veri-
fed already in marked degree. and it
is gratifying that our present agricul-
tural board are alert to the situation
and have already nipped in their in
cipiency several dangerous importa-
tions. and have established safeguards
| for the future.
FEWER DISADVANTAGES.
The foregoing presents the main fea-
| lures of the situation pertaining to the
| possibilities of fruit growing in Ha-
| wall: there are fewer disadvantages
| than in most countries, and as many
| vantages,-including good local
| market for more than is at present
| produced. Outside of pineapples and
| bananas we export no fruit worth men,
| tioning, while we import many thou
| sands of dollars worth of citrus fruits
| than can be grown here If the same
/ care and attention is given as in Cali
| fornia, moreover, these fruits can be
| supplied to the mainland at season
when their fruit is out of the market.
| The finer varieties of mangoes would
| find as excellent market on the Coast.
| yet We do not produce enough for our
own use. Grapes can be put upon the
coast markets at a season when there
are none to be had there, and no doubt
would command fancy prices. To grow
| these we have the japanese beetle to
contend with, but it is becoming less
/ troublesome each year and the prices
obtainable warrant extraordinary care
! in growing them and protecting them.
BANANA CHANCES.
There has been much said of late
| about the Bluefield banana. My recol-
| lection of this fruit in California was
| that the Hawaiian variety Dwarf
| Cavendish) was preferred for eating
| qualities. though not so large. Dealers
on the Coast say their banana market
| from October to May is at our COM
| mand if we will only send our best
| fruit:-we have many choice kinds that
have never been seen in California that