The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-09-01
EASY TO MAKE A LIVING
OUT OF HAWAIIAN
SOIL,

Benton D. Mitchell, a resident of
this city is confident that small farm
ing can be made a success on these
islands, especially on the windward
side where there is plenty of rain. The
fact that crops may be raised all the
year round will be a great factor in
the success of small farming. In an
interview yesterday he said:
For five years 1 lived surrounded
by small farmers on the windward side
of Maui. There were under my i'm
mediate observation several Portu-
guese who mad land leased from ka-
nakas. One man had five or ten acres
for which he paid five or ten dollars
per acre rent. On this land he planted
sweet potatoes and PUMPKINS AS his
place was close to a plantation there
was a good market for his produce.
1t was impossible to send anything
to Honolulu on account of the freight
rates, which are more than the goods
are worth. The plantations have spe-
cial rates but others have nothing.
1.-THE man had pigs for sale and fed
most of the things he raised tc them
The Chinese bought the hogs when
they were fattened. On the income from
this little plot OF land this family
seemed to live very comfortably.
ST had a teachers cottage in the
"a,
that is the only comfortable and con-
yenient way in that region. Near me
were four native antilles who made
their living on small farms and were
able TO entertain plenty of visitors.
They had about half an acre of land
in two spots planted to sweet potatoes.
up on the mountain side was taro
patch about four rods square. Down
near the house they had a patch about
the same size in native onions and
corn.
"Once week they would go up and
get taro and cook and pound it-about
one or two days work for two men.
Taro ripens but once year but they
had the patch planted in sections so
that some ripened every month. In
the corn patch there were several crops
in year so that there was some
thing coming in every day in the year.
There were plenty of wild bears and
had little grass land and kept
horses
sfThe point in the case is that in
these islands you can have something
land is more valuable than in the States
where there is only one crop a year
The people I speak of had plenty of
chickens and pigs and lived exceeding
very little work. for after the ground
is cleared there is not much to do.
These natives Jared sumptuously every
day (native sty1e) and think that any
ward side of the islands on five acres
and exceedingly well on ten acres.
st observed that it is almost impos-
sible to get land. The natives never sell
but only lease. The land should be
divided into twenty-acre lots and sold
to Americans. South of my place were
the walls dividing old native farms.
long since abandoned. These ruins
show that at one time the East Maui
district was thickly settled by small
farmers. each with his half-acre plot.
ION the leeward side of the islands
here is less rain though at a high alti-
:ude there is plenty On this side the
natives are not so thrifty They
either can't or won't raise anything.
IF white man or any other wants
o retire from the cares of life and
lave a good time he can make a good
living on the windward side of these
stands, although he cannot afford to
market his crops in Honolulu on ac-
cunt of the high freight tariffs. The
.reat drawback is that you can't buy
and. With the government In charge
{ these lands. cut up into twenty-acre
pts, there would be 2he means of live ,
hood for a half million or a million
eople who would be a better invest
lent for this Territory than tourists" :