The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-01-24
THE PINEAPPLE
INDUSTRY AND ITS
GROWING MARKET

Mr.. and Mrs. \. c. Baumgartner and
James u. Dole returned Tuesday by
the Mauua Loa from trip 20 the
Island OF Hawaii Mr.. Baumgartner
is the vice president OF Hunt Bros.
Company, san Francisco. among the
largest dealers in fruit In the country.
Hunt Bros. company are the agents
OF the Hawaiian Pineapple Company.
the largest growers and Gamers OF
pineapples in Hawaii. and Mr.. Baum
gartner is largely interested in the
concern. He has been here Before so
that he is thoroughly familiar with the
Hawaiian pineapple industry.
"our visit 20 Hawaii" he said yes
terday. was purely for pleasure and
principally to see the volcano. Mr..
Dole is interested in a rubber enter
prise in Puma and he took the oppor-
tunity TO go down and look at It. A
gentleman who Is interested in lands
in Puma which he thinks suitable for
pineapples urged us TO go and look
AZ them, and in this way we saw some
of the lands OF Puma believed to be
suitable for pineapples. IL struck US
that the land was rough and broken
and incapable of being cultivated in
pineapples in the same way or on the
same scale that we cultivate them at
Wahiawa. Our inspection was of the
most casual character. however. and
OF course did not extend to the ques-
ton of how well pineapples would grow
there-we simply made the observation
that the method of cultivating them
would necessarily differ from the
methods OF Wahiawa, and apparently
that the cost of cultivatins would be
greater.
PINEAPPLES IN KONA.
I'VE spent a half day On Kona and
saw the pineapple cultivation there
1 do not know how much the industry
can expand there, but the same )bser-
walton seemed true of these Kona
lands; that they were broken. and
hence that cultivation must be on hill
sides and terraces and in sraau tracts.
an acre or two here, and an acre or
two there, and not as with US in Wa
hiawa where the company in when /
am interested has rows Of 9ineapples |
at least two miles long
'On Maui, near KahuIui, where the
industry has been devA opel further
than anywhere else in iha islands ex-
cept on this island, CO iditI0ns seem
more nearly like they are xien US
understand that great deal OF plant
ing has been done on Kauai. out
have not been there.
THE WAHIAWA REGION.
1.-The Wahiawa region is whore the
has had the most phen )mrnal
growth. There is where he cGltiva-
ton can be carried on most cheaply.
There is where, in all probability. the
problems of the industry will be most
studied and most quickly
solved. AS there will probably be diff
ferences between the methods OF Guilt
vatiOn between other islands and this,
so there are already differences in
methods of cultivation at Wahiawa.
think few growers keep their lands as
Tree from weeds as our company does.
We consider it important as a Ieleuse
against the ants and the mealy bugs. ,
The ants place the mealy bugs on the /
oineapples, both on the leaves and on 5
he fruit itself. The mealy bug draws I
is sustenance from the pineapple. and {
he ant its sustenance from the mealy :
Jug. The freer the land is kept from :
weeds, the less protection and shelter Y
here ds for the ants and the mealy a
Jugs. But it is as certain as the ex- {
'erience in all other industries can I
make it, that new insects and other :
tests will develop and We will have to I
ght them. The sugar industry has h
eveloped its enemies. and the planters c
ave had to fight them. The leaf \
Upper ruined the crop of some PLAN L
ers three or four years ago. In Cali i,
Ornia we have been fighting insect z
ests for years and are fighting them 5
TILL I
GROWING BY LEAPS AND
BOUNDS. II
1.-The pineapple industry of the is
inds has been growing by leaps and
ounds. In 1906 the pack was say
bout 1900 to $4,000 cases. In 1867 O.
ne pack was about 175,O0O cases. In 81
'0S it will probably be from 800, 900 10 p
5000 cases. There has now been IN
ken up for cultivation in the Wahi- pl
wa region about 5000 acres. If it is o.
Il put into cultivation as it is now u
zpected to be, the crop Of 1909, in IL
uding that OF the other islands will !"
: between 100000 and 200, 600 cases. 1t 1
a question whether market can be al