The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-07-23
WHY OLAA COFFEE
PLANTERS FAILED
Explained In Light Of Recent De-
Velopments On Javan Cof-
fee Plantations

The rObusta variety Of coffee is re.
placing Java coffee in many tropical
lands where heavy rainfall interferes
with the crop. As was proved to the
sorrow of the Olaa homesteaders TWEEN.
ty years ago coffee arabica does not
yield good crops where there is too
much rain.
The variety grown in Hawaii, Brazil
Central America and most other estab-
llshed coffee countries is a small tree
with roots extending deep into the soil
Coffee robusta has all its roots near the
surface, in this characteristic resen.
bling most other trees and plants which
grow naturally in swampy locations, or
wheee the ground is constantly wet.
The java planters have substituted
robusta for arabica in all the very
rainy districts where their trouble had
been just what II was in Olaa, that the
ordinary coffee grew beautifully, but
never set a decent crop. In Java, or
Hawaii, when the arabica coffee sends
its roots down into wet and soggy
subsoil the tree yellows and becomes
diseased.
Why olaa Coffee Failed
s. 1t is now recognized that the Olaa
planters failed, not because coffee
would not grow there, but because they
were trying to make a distinctly dry
country variety grow in a region that
/ was too wet for it. Many Javan and
East Indian planters made the same
disastrous discovery.
A recent writer estimates that over
ten per cent of the Java coffee now ex
ported is robusta. He hazards the OPT.
Mon that the steady improvement in
prices received by the Dutch planters
for their product in the last ten years
is due to the improved quality Of the
! crop since rObusta coffee has been sub
t't"ted for arabica.
The robusta coffee does not do at all
well in dry places. The idea that it is
.~nn,.tu,, lvr arabica is all wrong. 1t
; certainly wonld not thrive in Kona at
.hc lower elevations, but in Olaa, or up
n the forest belt above 2000 feet ro-
busta may turn out to be a marked i'm
! provement over any coffee thus far
tried.
, ~ zee 'Karu'
The importation of new coffee varie-
ties has been absolutely forbidden be-
cause of the danger Of bringing new
, pant diseases to Hawaii. Nevertheless
Il would seem that an experiment with
"""'p coffee could be arranged
whereby one Of the experiment stations
/ could give this new variety trial,
safeguarding against the possible in.
reduction of pests and diseases into
! Hawaii y
Thr best lands in Hawaii lie above
'roo foot level, but up to this time no
HbtropicaI crop has been found suit.
Vie to them. Robusta coffee may be
int crop.
A, the Perideniya, Ceylon, expert.
! mcrt station, young robusta plants set
out under dense shade showed no signs
e scale insects, or Hemileia, the coffee
ut which has made coffee growing i'm.
possible in many Districts.
'obusta Likes Shade
! RoluSta plants set in the open, with,
out shade, were so badly attacked with
both these pests that they could not
! he held in check with e0pious sprayings
/ with kerosene emulsion and Bordeaux
mixture.
THIS fact that there are varieties of
coffee that must be shaded and, otheI
varieties that win not thrive with
shade il probably the real meat of the
| literary warfare that has ragged among
tropical planters FOR the last Fifty
years on whether to shade or not to
shade. Robpsta likes shade and must
have it, Arabica is the contrary, II
has only been since, the difference be.
tween the two varieties has been recog
n'"rl that office growers have come to
see that both factions were right. There
are two kinds of coffee. The planter
who was stocleed I'm with robusta had
to use sh lde tees. His competitor with
arabira coffee found shade injurious.
ROhusta coffee hes never been grown
: '.."n in w." aii. II it can be tried in
the excessively wet districts like ,Dlaa
= it may prove to be the key to the whole