The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-01-03
THE HAWAIIAN ORANGES.

( The statement of Alexander Craw
that Hawaii ought to raise its own
oranges, recalls the day when it did
so; when the oranges of Kona, of the
Perry place near Honolulu and of the
windward side of Oahu filed this mar
ket and were. considered a better fruit
I than that which California had to ex-
port Indeed, at great dinners in San
Francisco, men like Claus Spreekels
made sure of Hawaiian oranges for
the fruit courses. During late years,
the Oahu oranges. save those grown
on weII-kept private grounds like the
estates of Mr.. Dillingham; and Mr.. Ger
rit Wilder, have practicable disappear
ed and those of Kona have lost in
point of quality.
There are various reasons given for
the decline of our citrus Industry In
many cases, undoubtedly. orange trees
got beyond the productive age-limit
and the orchards We're not renewed.
Then with the spread of lantana and
the coming of strange insects. trees got
choked and infected; and no one
knew how to- keep them clean and
healthy. AnAher source of discour-
agement to the local orange-growerl
was the great and cheap importa ton |
of California citrus fruits Honolulu |
iobbers could depend on the foreign
supply; they were not so sure of the
one at home. and so, naturally enough,
the golden apple from the mainland
Hesperideis got the right of way in
this market
Nevertheless a good, Homegrown
orange will always sell here, particu-
larly IL the hucksters and the up-to-
date fruit stands. And, as Mr.. Craw
points out, it can be successfully
raised. The old soil and old climate
remain; the methods of safeguarding z
the trees are taught by the United
States Experiment Station; all that is .
lacking is the enterprise to. start or ?
ehards in the right way and to care 2
for them properly.
Any one who has ten acres of fertile
soil, well-drained, with facilities for 4
irrigation in dry times, ought to ven
planting trees in parallel lines so as
% make cultivation and irrigation
Easy, by keeping the earth turned over
Ind free from weeds and Iantana byl
!
;ion of kerosene and whale oil soap,
! man may soon acquire a dividend
,aying property. a youngerly tree L
houid easily produce three boxes of Il
ruit worth not less than $3.50 per box
n $3.50 in all. Seventy trees TO the :,
-cre should yield s525 or $525e for ten z,
ores. But even if we say only $1,000
or ten acres there is a good living for
small family. The cost OF keeping 9
he orchard going is light. Except for
licking the fruit, one faithful field
and with horse and cultfvator can n
o the hardest work required =
Much land near Honolulu is good
or citrus fruits. We are NOT sure put
he kiawe covered soil on the other
ide of Diamond Head, IN a dry belt, >
apable of irrigation would answer; 4.
or the orange of Joppa, the most L.
amous Mediterranean fruit except 8.
hat of Sicily, grows best with
a 300 feet of the seashore in soil
of two parts sand and one W
art loan. The rich mountain gulches
ereabout used to produce fine oranges
nd probably would now, except for 81
he lantana. But there is really no OF
nd of good localities; the question is
OF one of sites but of men.
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