The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-02-22
Garden Of
| THE GROUP
Small Farms Are
Prosperous
Here.
Coffee, PineappIes and
Taro Thrive Well
in kona.
The District Can Supply All the
Islands With Its Surplus
of Taro.


of the small farmer. It is also the
most prosperous district of any visited
by Governor Carter on his tour of Ha-
wall. Not only does the small farmer
live well in the two Konas but he is
making money at the same time.
From Hookena to Kailua there is a
string of farms. Coffee, pineapples,
and taro are the chief products of
Kona and there are but few acres of
unproductive land in the entire dis
| trict.
Kona is in higher state of cultiva-
! ton than any other section of Ha-
| waii, and the land is not given over to
| sugar cane either, excepting the acres
/ under the control of the Kona Sugar
| Co. In other districts there are miles
and miles of barren land, with houses
to be found only at rare intervals. In
Kona there is on an average one or
| two houses for every mile of country,
and each home is surrounded by well
titled acres. Little communities have
sprung up every W41SIS, III Tic AAAbCAAOA
as well as on the coast and what is
more the natives are prosperous and
contented and good Republicans as
well.
Coffee is o. course the principal prod
uct of the district and the men who
are behind the industry are making
money at it and extending their hold
ings. Bruner is the leading coffee man
of the district although the Kinds and
Wallace have large acreages in coffee.
Mr.. Bruner says there is money in cof-
fee and he is doing all he can to extend
the area under cultivation. Last year
he made good many thousands of
dollars and he expects to do even bet
ter this year. He has already ship
ped about seven thousand bags of the
Kona product and expects to ship
double that amount before the sea-
son closes.
The coffee fields stretch in snowy
whiteness through miles of Kona.
Much of it is now in blossom while
thousands of acres are now being pick
ed and cleaned and made ready for
market. At Napoopoo, John Gaspar
has a coffee mill, and has about TWEEN
/
ing the product. He also takes care |
of Burners coffee and the Captain |
Cook brand has a wide reputation on
the mainland. Mr.. Bruner says that |
there is money in coffee at twelve |
cents pound and the ruling price is
somewhat higher now that there is !
report of failure in the Brazil fields.
Where some years ago the coffee was
allowed to run wild the lands are now
being leased by natives and japanese,
who pick the coffee and sell it to Bru-
ner Bruner pays them a good price
and both picker and middleman are
making handsome profit.
Then there is the pineapple. Hun
dreds of acres are being planted in the
luscious fruit and it is the opinion of
many of the Kona people that pine
apples will be the coming industry of
the district. Bruner recognizes the pos
sibilities of the future and is just now
a fine plant which has all
the latest improvements and which is
of expanding sufficiently to can
thousands of pines every day and 10
make the cans for it as we'll. The mill
will be open for business before the
present pineapple crop is ready for har-
vesting and Bruner will can both the ;
fruit and the core as well. The Ha-
waiians are going into the cultivation ,
IF pineapples extensively and much :
and is being prepared for them. Coffee ,
cultivation is also carried on by some ]
IF the natives and Bruner has been en- ]
eouraging the policy of farming out ]
and to natives and Japanese for the
cultivation of coffee, the only condition
being that the product shall be disposed
# to him.
which no ! /
natives can best depend is the making G
# poi. The taro grown in Kona is the
,est of any in the islands and what IS 1
more there are splendid opportunities
or extending its cultivation. The dry /
and or royal taro is grown here in the c
<ona district and it far surpasses any h
,ther variety in quality. Much more
arc is raised than is sold but there is
ak now of forming a company for puF- $
ing the paiai on the Honolulu market j
nd also of taking up the Kalaupapa a
ontract.
The natives can raise enough taro 70 l;
upply all the islands and Governor I
,arter was much interested in a scheme s
or marketing the product in Honolulu. b
another thing is that the plant can be
-rown successfully in the same fields
nth the coffee, and in this way sueh-
lent taro can be raised TO pay the ca
ire cost of the coffee crop. !
Oranges, sweet potatoes and small
rops also grow successfully in the ko- =
sand efforts are now being made to
ct more land to be divided up into !. :
omesteads Small farming is a sue :
ess in the Konas whether it is or is not q
n any other section of the islands.
,ranz Bucholtz has a place here also
here he raises everything under ;he