The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1904-05-13
COTTON IN
HAWAII
The Plant suitable To
Climate and
Soil.


haps longer. A few months ago, when
the price of cotton was soaring upwards
| and the wise ones in America and Eu-
rope said there was no danger OF a re-
versal for two years many sugar planters
| OF the southern states began to consider
the feasibility OF turning a part of their
cane fields into cotton fields They were
| encouraged by the cotton buyers OF New
Orleans, Galveston and Mobile, who
agreed to furnish them with gins, and
by the cotton-seed mill men, who offered
TO take their seed at high figures. Ii
the slump had not come when it did
thousands of acres of land in Louisiana
and other states would now be covered
with cotton plants where cane lately
grew. What the commercial effect would
have been to the planters it is difficult
to estimate. the planters of Hawaii
could suddenly change their sugar i'll
| terests into fields of growing cotton with
gins and other necessary machinery, to-
| gethcr with facilities for shipping their
cotton to Japan, they might be better off.
| This conjecture may sound like treason
| i'll a land that sugar has so bountifully
enriched and If it be treason it comes
| OF the change of mood that the existing
| low sugar values have engendered.
Cotton is one of the abandoned indus
| tries OF Hawaii. In 1896 it was planted
| at Hama, Maui, and in parts OF Hawaii.
| In 1887 Governor kuakini erected
| stone cotton factory at kailua and some
very durable fabrics were produced by
| the simple machinery of that period. Dur
ing the civil war, forty years ago, when
| the seaports of the southern states were
blockaded and cotton was made very
costly staple, the Hawaiian growers ex-
ported hundreds of bales to Boston. Gins
were located near the present postoffice
in Honolulu. The Sea Island, Georgia
| and Peruvian varieties were cultivated
| then. 1t was not long after this, how
| ever when sugar asserted almost COM
| plete sway over the planting interests
of the Islands and fields OF cotton be-
came only memory.
A gentleman residing in this city pro-
cured some Sea Island cotton seeds at the
coast about five years ago and has been
| experimenting with cotton in his garden
| ever since. His land is at a low eleva
ton, not far from the center of town,
and the soil in which the plants grow
is rich. In four months after the seeds
sprout cotton NAV be picked from the
| plant. First comes the white blossom,
which bears the appearance OF a half
grown hibiscus. This gradually turns
to purple hue and then the fluffy little
white ball of cotton takes the place of
the flower. He has not discovered any
| serious blight. Occasionally he finds
| ladybugs on the leaves. and these he be-
| lieyes are combating what inconspicuous
| blight may exist. His five years expert
| ence gives some weight to his views of
cotton growing. He is OF the opinion
that half a ton OF cotton per annum can
! be grown on an acre anywhere on the
| lowlands of the Islands, unless the loca-
| ton is subj ected to extraordinary strong
| winds 1T will grow at an elevation of
5000 feet, if necessary said he, "and
| there are vast tracts of land covered with
lantana and other useless shrubbery all
| over the Islands that could be turned
into cotton fields. 1t could be made the
ideal occupation for the small farmer.
The gin is simple matter OF $500 or
$500 and a ready market for the seeds
can be secured at home. Absorbing con-
| siderable nitrogen from the atmosphere
| they make, when ground, capital food for
| dairy and beef stock, as every stockman
will tell you They are put to many
| other uses. Vet while there might be a
very rosy prospect observed in one direc-
| ton we are confronted by the shipping
problem. Steamers calling here on their
way TO Yokohama are always loaded and
have no room for bales OF cotton. San
Francisco would not be profitable mar
ket; neither would Sydney. Japanese
buyers i'll Yokohama are now paying 10
cents u. S. gold per pound for medium
quality, and there would be Our market.
| am not steamboat man and cannot
surmiSe what could be practically effected
in the way OF speedy transportation. Ii
the cotton industry should attain even
quarter OF the present proportions OF the
sugar business doubtless ways and means
would be provided for facilitating the
export to Japan or any other country
At first there would not be much diff
Guilty in securing sailing vessels for the
traffic. The Fiji cotton merchants ship
10 Japan via Sydney, They produce a
superior quality of cotton in hotter
country than ours you must know, Our
temperature is something between that
oi Mississippi and Fiji and I am CON
tident there is nothing the matter with
our climate"
II would require an expenditure of
$4,000 10 start and equip an ordinary
plantation \ cleaner, gin, press, GER
lain other machinery, miscellaneous tools
and warehouses would be needed \
water supply would have IA be secured
and irreatnp bitches constructed Cot
ton Mil thrive with ian less wafer lhan
sugar hul u would suffer during ne
amer with few atrgs ri cotton would
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