The Hawaiian gazette., 1903-10-13
THE BALL IS ROLLING.

| II Is an item of progress In itself
| that Hilo has an agricultural society OF
| its very own. Not SO long ago the
whole group had but one agricultural
society, which for many long years was
| only heard from at it's annual election
of officers. 1t was exclusive, royal IL
| you please, and representatives OF the
press were not invited to its meetings.
Long ago 1t manifested signs of life
by holding exhibitions at intervals of
years in Kapiolani Park. No doubt the
old society did some good, its period or
usefulness being contemporaneous with
the introduction of thoroughbred stock,
horses, cattle and sheep, by King kala-
kaua, Chamberlain Judd, w. g. Irwin,
w. NJ. Gibson, B. +. Dillingham; and
others.
Though organized agricultural inter-
ests waned in the era of political revo-
luton, private enterprise kept right on
and, with more or less public encour-
agement, brought stock raising, forage
cultivation, dairy farming, horticulture
and general agriculture apart from SUI
gar production, up to standards not to
be despsed. These various Industries,
besides largely supplying the home
market, contributed quite respectfully
sometimes to the exports. Prior to the
admission of Hawaii as a Territory to
the Union, there was a tariff handicap
upon some Hawaiian products which
prevented their profitable marketing
on the mainland. Now everything goes
into the United States market free and
the failure of the pineapple industry,
for instance, is turned into success and
great future promise. The fibre indus
try has been started, after years OF
talk and desultory experiment, with ev-
cry indication of becoming greatly i'm
portant.
1t is incomprehensble, in view of the
progress that has been made, how peo-
pie continue to deride the cause of
diversified industries and croak about
there being nothing in it." Taking a
broad survey of the agricultural stua-
ton in Hawaii today, there is every
thing to encourage hope that before
long the hackneyed taunt of having all
our eggs in one basket will have its
edge dulled for good and ALL Forces |
of progress are modifying. We have |
on Oahu and on the other
islands to promote industries other
than sugar. The Federal experiment |
station is working out problems for the |
small farmer as well as for corporate |
in new directions. Reorgan-
lied and subsidized by the Legislature,
the Board of Agriculture and Forestry |
is working in conjunction with the Fed
eral authorities. Intelligent and eX-'
perienced farmers from the mainland
are coming in by colonies, settlements
and individuals. The irrigation aues-
ton, where it exists, is being settled by
systematic and modern methods. Sew
eral large schools, public and private, |
are instructing the children of the soil
in agricultural art and science appro-
pirate to local conditions.
If there is anything more truly alive
in the Hawaiian Islands at present than |
the movement for complete develop
ment of the country's natural re-
the pessimists will have to |
climb the rugged slopes of Mauna Loa |
and look down into the furnaces of |
to find 1t. Plutonic fires |
are at the end of the pessmist's vision |
anyway, but fortunately his power of
dragging everybody else to hades with ,
him is limited.