The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1904-11-08
A MAUI OBSERVER HAS A
WORD WITH F. O. ATHERToN
Haiku, Maui, Nov. d. 1904.


Editor Advertiser: ! have been much
interested in reading the letter of Mr..
+. {. Anterior on small farming in
kula and in your editorial reply to same
| most sincerely agree with you that
our Islands here are full of latent pos
slbllties i'll the way of profitable agri-
culture, and only need such energy, push,
and skill as can be found on the MAIN
land to make clear the advantages that
are now not half appreciated There
has been little necessity and no system.
attic effort on the part of capable farmers
to get out of the soil on these Islands
what is certainly in it, except by the
sugar men who do have the push and
the energy and the ability to make even
condemned" lands produce profitable
and i'll some cases heavy returns of
sugar. Certain localities have, however.
baffled the best efforts, and most capable
management has been totally unable to
bring profitable returns from the land
and these plantations have finally been
abandoned. Again certain plantations,
previously improbable. have with eithe,
change of variety of cane or with change
of management and methods become
come profitable to degree almost in
credible. The point | wish to make is
simply that no one single locality or
one single class or community of farm
ers can by either success or failure,
prove or disprove that our Islands as
whole are not open to profitable farm
ing, or minor industries" Mr.. Anterior
seems to have stayed pretty much at
home when he was lately in Kula for
II he had but carried his investigation
a few miles further this way into the
kaupakalua district, he would have
found prosperous community of con-
tented Portuguese small farmers, whose
homes, whose faces, and whose clothes
show their prosperity without any need
OF questioning. This community is grow
ing every year. perhaps some OF the kula |
farmers have moved down, and | hope
so for | think the advantages in this
district are certainly better than those
the AVERAGE American farmer can secure
Mr. Atherton says that a pineapple
factory has been set un at Haiku and
the company on turning out
a fine article but goes on to say that
how much profit there will be in merely
.hc raising of pineappeS by the small
farmer remains to be proved" In this |
take issue with the Banker, for pine
apple growing on the Islands is long |
past the experimental stage, in fact il |
IS about proved that the Hawaiian Is |
ands produce the finest and largest pines !
N the world, and there is not one single |
pest of all the many that brighten the |
imld, that has yet appeared, in any de |
gree to seriously affect the pineapple crop |
The small farmers about here have al |
'eady for years been raising pines profit
lbly, but now with a factory close at
land which will gladly take all their sur
,lns at good and profitable prices | consi-
Ter that a. least this one industry i'm this
district is certainly a very profitable one
or the small farmer But pineapples
re not the only successful crop besides
ugar cane that will grow here: there
! much else and Il Is being demonstrated
Inwlv but surely here and there by able
nd capable agricultural men IN the
Stand, oi which there Is small mi.
GRITTY and with encouragcment and
lslcrlng these industries will grow
pad expand as surely as the sugar in
u-ly las grown and expanded
iour Ncry Truly
a. 4 BALDWIN