The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-09-07
1lWASTE land FAR
BETTER THAN TRACTS
FOR AOMESTEADERS.
County Agent NOR Draws Atten-
ton To Broad, Fertile Acres
Used As a Cattle Range
HOMESTEADs SHOWED orr
INTO BARREN SPOTS
Urges Food Commission To Look
Into Waimea Plain District
To Solve Farm Problem

The Waimea plain, which is now leas.
ed to the Parker Ranch under the title
Of waste lanl, is far more productive
than any of the homestead lands in the
district, says w. w. @. NOR, county
agent for Hawaii, in letter to the
territorial food commission. He sug-
gests that portion Of IL be turned
over to the small farmers for food
crops, u.
The homestead areas have the poor,
est agricultural soil of the district,
according TO NOR, who has recently
been making n tour Of the Waimea
rpd Keanakolu section. He suggests
that, as the Keanakolu project is out
OF the question for the present for lack
of roads and labor, the Waimea lands,
which have neither Of these difficulties,
might be opened up. At present they
are used for pasturing ga few head Of
cattle.'' - ~
Homsteads Showed Over ..'....l
"While on my, way up to Mana from
Waimea," says Morris letter, az got
q very fine view % the Waimea plains.
Very few cattle were making use of
the place, You could Immediately see
that the land under cultivation, that
is the homestead areas of Puukapri, were
all showed over and up onto the slopes
OF the Kohala Mountains where the
poorest soil is located. The rich and
level lands of the plain are being used
for grazing lands.
In order TO see how rich and pro.
ductive the lands of this plain are, one
only has to look at the corn crops of
the small homestead lots on the edge of
this area. Corn is an index crop of the
soil, showing the good and the poor
spots of field; and in these plots that
speak of the corn is all of a uniform
height and vigor, which speaks very
well for the place that has grown corn
for many years without fertilization.
The corn is all eight feet and higher in
height with stalks two inches through.
One would travel good ways in the
states to come across corn like this.
The land that was last turned over
for demonstrating is on very poor and
spotted soil which would have to be
fortified and plowed a great deal be-
fore 1t could be made to produce pro
titably.r There are only a few of the
homesteaders that have little cash
and wish to experiment with the place
that are working their own lots and
making bare living off their forty
acres of poor land. The others that
have not the means to carry on such
work are working for the road and for
the ranch leasing their lands to those
that have the funds to carry on an up
hill farming proposition, up hill in more
ways than one, some of the areas being
nj Mt twenty-five, and thirty degree
slope. ..,a'
Call It Waste Land
1.-THE rich and productive land I'M,
der consideration is now leased to the
Parker Ranch under the name of waste.
land, and il certainly is wasting land
to allow q few head of cattle to roam
around on. the place when they get
more than sthey can eat on the slopes
and rolling country located between
the $500 contour line and the top of
the mountain. ..,...r,..
Parker Ranch has it's 1000 to 1000
acres of corn located at a place on the
side of the mountain at an elevation
or about $500 or 5000 and better corn
was never seen, yet its equal can be
grown on the area just below on the
plain.
\ number of years ago this land
was petitiOned for by bunch of earn,
est and hard working people, but the
petition was pigeon-holed by Mr.. Tuck
or, then the land commissioner.
-. ,''If this area were opened along the
lines outlined in my other letters, the
crop-productiOn problem would be all
most solved. 1t would be the start of
another industry that would make Ha-
waii well known. #..,.... Z
Land Of Possibilities
- IL you were to investigate the CON.
ditiOns and possibilities of the Waimea.
plains and the land from there on.
around to the top of Piihonua you
would become another enthusiast for
the development of the agricultural
possibilities of Hawaii. Obstacles to
the akeanaiofu' proposition were money
for the roads, and labor to. work the
land. These two points ARD settled in
regard to the Maimea proposition. The
country is close TO good road and
level so that small roads (side) could
be easily constructed at small expense;
well drained and crowned earth road
sufficing. The labor point is settled in
so far as the people that are willing
to work the land are not those that are
IN the sugar or other important indus
tries but those that have been farmers
before an the States and have been per.
suing varied trades here in the small
towns and villages g. -.
Eighty Acre Tracts
"Given farm not less than eighty
acres and required to cultivate and
use their land TO the best advantage of
every one, these prospective farmers
would not take long to show the people
of these Islands or any where else that
farming in Hawai- is a profitable oc.
cuPation,s Once this section showed
success IL would not be long before
this whole area would be opened up
and farmed, IFS
This will come about some day for
sure but the sooner il is started the
better for, the Islands. 1t would be a
project started that would continue
and grow regardless of the war. =
81 wish / only had you up here 10
show you the areas that are being farm.
Cd aud attempted to be farmea
throughout the whole section of this
side Of the island; forest lands ON
slODes have been eleared ~ thai.