The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1903-11-20
THE FACTS WHICH. SMALL
FARMERS ARE ASKING FOR
Agricultural Possibilities in the Hawaiian Islands,
Soils, Climate, Variety Of Productions and
Markets Described by U. S. Expert Smith,.

Unqualified praise the Promotion Committee for send
ing pamphlet by Jared G. Smith agriculture in Hawaii
Several thousand copies will leave the Alameda and where
they will good among American farmers seeking home
The descriptive supplied by Mr. Smith is supplemented by
chapter the Land Laws and Open Areas Extracts from Mr.
Smiths contribution excluding the familiar facts he gives about
sugar pineapples, rice and sisal follow
AGRICULTURAL POSSIBILITIES
Although the Hawaiian Islands within the tropics the
climate subtropcal rather than tropical Summer maximum
temperatures seldom above IS degrees Fahrenheit while at
sea level winter minimum temperatures seldom reach degrees
The climate characterized by equality of temperature The daily
about thirteen degrees and seldom exceeds twenty
degrees At Honolulu the temperature "A degrees Fair
enhet with daily eleven degrees The daily usually
increases toward the higher elevations ranging from 10 20 de-
grees The relative humidity is which low
for the tropics and this be attributed much of the sau
bry OF the climate The climate insular, that is the rainfall
the number Of cloudy clear days MONTH the of wind
and the humidity of the according the location OF the
land relation the of the islands, relation
to the altitude above level Frequent light local showers
characteristic of the Hawaiian climate They often
from clear sky and frequently happens that locality be
denched by sudden shower while few hundred yards distant
there has been drop The prevailing wind the Northeast
trade blows average zoo days the year Devastating
winds of There light breeze and
sionaly "Kona" which is Southwest wind
the special for the kona which, sections and
long intervals considerable damage The rainy
tends from November to March Electrical disturbances
The rainfall according
and The Northeast and East sides
Islands the opposite sides dry
The rainfall certain districts the dry sides the Islands may
exceed twenty inches per while the side
average high thirty per The Valleys plains
pateau guce and all have climate peculiar them
selves.
SOILS
The soils of the Hawaiian Islands mostly volcanic the only
exception being certain low lying coastal plains which of
coral origin The soils differ widely from of the agricultural
soils the Mainland They require different treatment Their
chief characteristics their acidty the exceptionally high
of iron and their high OF nitrogen Most of the
soils also rich popor acid potash but the phosphorc
acid to large locked with the iron unavailable
condition AS general rule all OF soils require the of
soils is SUCH and the prevailing slope of the agricultural lands is
high OF the islands averaging feet mile that If
rainfall Our soils do retain moisture The content
Of nitrogen exceeds six tons in the soil the depth
To reply queries regard what be
by prospective settlers the Hawaiian Islands, the following notes
in regard to of the chief agricultural products given
BANANAS.
Bananas require rich SOIL high temperature and abundant rain
fall irrigation There several varieties cultivated OF
which are native and imported but that known as the Chinese
the chief variety The banana ropgaed by means
Of suckers ooos from the base of the plants These the
case OF the Chinese banana are set at intervals OF about ten feet
each The ground between them should be cultivated erized
and kept free from weeds The plant fruits in from eighteen
wentyfour months from the time OF planting Each plant bears
only bunch and is then down. but each plant throws out
suckers and these develop that the
may be harvested almost continuously from the time they
first into bearing for number of Bananas sell in
the San Francisco market for from $I25 o bunch Even
at the price there good margin OF profit The
OF this although already large being rapidly
tended Good banana land be obtained in the vicinity of Homo
lulu where the bananas must be grown by irrigation the vicinity
of o where the conditions for the development of this industry
exceptionally favorable There about freight carrying
steamers from Honolulu San Francisco other Pacific Coast
ports and one direct from IIio
FRUITS.
There is small export trade in the alligator pear which
fruit that be shipped in cold There large
local demand for this product and the demand growing in San
Francisco and other Coast ports Shipments of selected fruit bring
from $500 5000 dozen in San Francisco The local demand
also quite large and local prices quite satisfactory The
alligator is susceptible to orchard cultivation 1t
little and better at the lower than at the
higher elevations Another fruit for which there large local and
growing export demand the There several vare
ties already cultivation Islands Grapes raised by the
Portuguese settlers The Isabella is the variety chiefly grown but
all OF the European and table also thrive The lower
lands of the kona of Hawaii and Oahu especially sed
the cultivation OF grapes is made but the local market
does and will for absorb all the good table
that be produced Other fruits which we'll the Che
noya orange especially seeding varieties mandarin
lemon lime strawberry papaa fig and others The papaia