Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-06-09

cilO l44S oioOS Oul hoO W NC ooS4oNCO
In the matter of fencing its gardens
Waikiki is helping its own men, prac
tically combining its assistance to the
school gardens, the children being In
structed by plantation lunas.
Boy Scouts do Splendid Work
In connection with gardening, the
boy scouts deserve a paragraph all to
themselves, and special mention, for
it is due largely to them that such
splendid success has been met with.
They are assisting in the distribution
Of seeds, and II is no small job to
separate the seeds into 1900 parcels
and allot them to individuals They
are also policing the children's gar
dens, keeping out intruders, whether
two-footed or quadruped, but the
greatest help they are giving is m
sowing the seeds and raising up to
the transplanting age young cabbage
plants, tomatoes, lettuce, egg plant,
onions, peppers, ETC., so that there is
less waste Of time and seed through
fnexperience or the extreme youth Of
the children. Beans and the vege-
tables that require little care, are fur
nished the children for their owD
planting.
Big Plantations and Ranches Help
The big plantations, particularly
the Baldwin interests, have for years
set aside as garden plots, waste land
and gulches for the benefit Of their
employees. Both Portuguese and jap
anese are taking great interest in the
recent activities. Senator H. A. Bald.
win, for the use Of his employees, has
put out 40 acres Of sweet potatoes and
150 acres Of corn. II all goes we'll
with crops 80 that there is no wheat
shortage and flour does not raise pro-
hibitiyely, this corn will be used for
feed for the plantation horses and
mules, but II there is food shortage
the corn viii be converted into meal
tor food for the employees, the planta-
ton having its own grinding Inachin-
cry. Mr.. Harold Rice has out about
40 acres OF corn from which he ex-
poets q yield Of So bushels to the
acre. Today's paper quoted the food
commission in the states as having
fixed q price for corn during the war,
not to exceed Si.65 per busheI.
Both the Baldwin and Rice estates
are planting Irish potatoes in large
acreage also, the raising Of which will
be OF inestimable value to the islands.
Does everybody know that for many
years during the early history Of Cali
fornia, the Hawaiian islands furnish
ed California and the coast with Irish
potatoes And does everybody also
know that the only drawback toward
the successful raising Of Irish pota-
toes here IL that they must be spray
ed with Bordeaux mixture, which is
neither q hard Job nor q matter Of
much expense Surely II is matter
of less expense to raise what we need
for home consumption, than to import
our supply from California and New
Zealand, as. we have been doing these
many years. =.
Aids 10 Gardeners -.
The Baldwins, also, In order TO lower
another high cost or most necessary
commodity in these islands, are manu-.
featuring cement for their own use,
from native materials, the plant to
begin operation in July. Their cement
costs. consequently, will drop from
$3.50. present cost, to $3.50 per bar.
rel. Since the advent of the home
garden on Maui, some Of the planta
tons have set aside for their EN-
ployes q strip OF land parallel to the
roads, along the edge of the cane
fields. running the length of the fields,
and from so to 70 feet in width, which
the plantation Is plowing, removing
the stones from, fertilizing, furnish
ing seed for, water and the advice Of
3 luna, who is an expert agricultur-
ist Surely labor and capital car
have no quarrel here, where the plan
tations pay bonuses ION one planta.
ton this year the bonus win amount
TO 70 per cent Of the total wages1,
where the laborers are housed, pro.
yided with water, fuel and doctor
besides their earned wage. What,
this side of heaven, can common labor
hope for more than this, except to
have health to enjoy the fruits there.
OF? House rent, groceries and
peace in the family epitomizes the
sum total IN most instances. Lucky
is he, who having had nothing more,
nothing more expects or desires.
Six District Plan
The island is divided into six dis
tricts, division being regulated as
nearly as possible according to eli
matte conditions. A commissioner
with sub commissioners has been ap-
pointed for these districts. Thu
school and children's gardens will be
judged each division by itself, in com.
parison with q competitors garGcn
in the same division. Previous to the
county fair, there was no organized
plan for gardening, which mad it
doubly hard to Judge fairly, for tia
reason that every child grew what
he or she individually wished. some
children growing several varieties OF
vegetables and some only one. This
haphazardness AID lack Of system
showed its faults when points in a
comparison could not be scored Ioi a
garden OF, say, beans, carrots, onions,
sweet potatoes, against another garden
OF particular excellence producing
only two Of these vegetables.
The district Of Haiku plans to either
appoint an agent or procure the ser.
vices Of n man fr0m the Q0vornmari