Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-23

THE EVENING STA
Der when those uplands through the dense
woods were a nearly impossible swamp:
where now all Is dry and dusty FOR gooo
The great Parker estate itself can fur
pish many chapters Of an entertaining book
in its lay OF land. its occupants ana its ms,
tory It's splendid mountain dome, crowned
with eternal snow, its broad slopes, Its ex-
tended forests, its scattered herds OF wild
cattle, its swift-chasing herdsmen. Its
roundings-up and brandings, and the ro-
mantle. luxurious homes Of its proprietors
invite at least few brief minutes OF de-
scription.
The Maunakea Mountain.
Maunakea is a magnificent giant of
mountain of a very uniform and symmetri-
cal contour and dome form. 1t is the largest
mountain Of the Pacific ocean. being 1880
feet high, not quite equal to Shasta or Hood
Of the Cascade range, but far broader in
base than either and gentler in slope. Both
the latter mountains, like all in the Cas-
-cades. are vastly more weathered than
Maunakea. which is of comparatively re-
cent volcanic growth or piling up. and but
little eroded by ancient storms In one pc
culiarity Mauna Kea Is the largest noun
tain on this globe! It rises higher from its
base than any other; for its base Is at the
bottom of an ocean 1900 feet deep. Both
on its east and west sides this vast dome
rises with unbroken slopes from ocean
depths to its summit through continuous
altitude Of $4,000 feet, which Is not true of
any other mountain of earth, unless it be
of its sister DOME Mauna Loa, whose sum-
NIT is thirty miles southwest. Both noun
tatnS were caps of perpetual snow, although
In the torrtd zone.
But while nine-tenths Of the surface of
Mauna Loa Is dreary waste Of recent and
rugged lava, Maunakea is mainly clothed
with vegetation, much Of 1t luxuriant. All
volcanic activity ceased there probably
thousand centuries ago, although it is still
a new mountain compared with the aged
extinct volcanoes of the islands northwest.
vegetation is particularly rank on the
eastern half of the mountain slopes, where
lies the larger part of the great Parker
ranch There may be one hundred square
miles OF woodland, all indigenous native
timber, chiefly the tall but crooked ohia,
with much of the mahogany-like koa. There
are between the bodies of wood great grassy
slopes, Astounding in wild Strawberries.
IheSe slopes are studded with scattering
cattie, often stringing out in long droves.
l have an indefinite idea that there are
from 1000 to 10000 in all of these cattle.
Much EFFORT has been made to round up and
brand them. know not with how much
success Nor do / know how far has gone
any eHort to. improve the breed by intro
ducing hfgh-bred bulls. 1t must be difficult
to produce much Improvement among 49, 900
and vigorous bulls
The original stock was the Mexican,
brought from California. and until about
!orty years ago hardly any beeves of domes-
tlc breeds had been imported. Now the
tame cattle are numerous on the Leeward
ISLANDS and we have our Jersey cows. In
the old days we saw only the long-horned
cows. whose legs must be tied before milk
Ing, and to whose teats the calf must he
applied before milk would flow This Mex
lean breed could only be handled with las
soes, requiring the Spanish saddle with Its
mighty pommel, enabling the horse to lean
back to hold the captured bullock In Aus
tralia only the domesticated English breeds
nave been known. hence the difference be-
tween the California" and the Austria
liam" saddles
The Cowboy.
Spanish-Mexican vaqueros came to Ha-
wall at an early date to handle the wild
cattle, but the natives took at once to the
business. in which they delighted. and be-
came proficient. But the name "Paniolo," or
Spaniard, still designates the cowboy in
Hawaii. although he Is always a native.
The Parker estate must employ many hun
dreds of these "Paniolos" 1t Is no small
task to collect scores of these wild fat cat
tie and deliver them weekly to the coasting
steamers at Kawaihae port. Bold and
skillful driving Is necessary, nor Is much
to be considered about cruelty to ami
mails especially in towing the animals out
to the ship and hosting them aboard Pas
sengers of tender sympath do we'll not to
inspect such proceedings.
A cattle ranch. at present prices Of beer.
ought to be immensely profitable. Forty
years ago people in Honolulu paid the
butcher or cents pound, while In rural
districts 3 or cents was the price. Now
we pay 10 to IS cents. Undoubtedly the
Parker concern is a very good paying affair,
and equally surely 1t needs very good man
certain that Sam Parker is not at all the
man himself to direct 1t, or even perhaps to
choose the Managers although what Is
usually called one Of the best Of fellows
Improvement in Financial Conditions.
Hawaii is beginning to feel slight let
up from the severe financial depression OF
the past two years. Sugar has gone up
little. Our last cargoes landed on the At
Iantic coast have realized above $50 ton.
which is fairly living price. But most OF
our plantations have so long been running
behind that dividends may not be made for
some time.
We are getting somewhat incommoded
about our malls in consequence of the war.
Steamers have been taken Off or kept back
for fear of capture by Russian cruisers
The recent raid Of the Vladivostok squad
ron into the Pacific caused great alarm,
and we went last month twelve days with
out a mail. Fortunately we get daily news
by cable. Now we are waiting to hear or
Port Arthur's fall. and perhaps the sur
render of Kuropatkin. 1t does not seem
certain that such complete Japanese vic
tories would be better for the world than
partial Russian success Yet ones Sympa-
thies somehow GO not incline to Russia.
This century tends to make the Pacific
field of warfare. If so, Hawaii has serl-
Gus destiny looming up. 1t seems time that
the United States armed itself at this out
post This may at no distant day become a
center of serious conflict.
KAMEHAMEIA.