The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1940-08-08
Martha Eder Writes
OF Life In Hawaii

III uuSA VII
Following is a letter from
Martha l.. Elder, who is a home
demonstration agent in Hawaii,
to her brother, c. S. Elder, and
family:
Kaunakakai, Molokai, Hawaii
More than a year has gone by
since sending the last mimeo-
graphed letter. Many things
have happened, and after re-
reading my letter of a year ago,
I know that this has been a
most eventful year. The ex-
tension year is over and the
new year has started. My OPP
inions of the island are much
the same but are influenced
by my surroundings and the
past years experience.
The most important event of
the year was the purchasing of
one acre of land 8 and " miles
from Kaunakakai up ION top"
at Kalae at an altitude of l.
500 feet, where it is nice and
cool. This is being written on
a July Sunday evening and I
have a fire TO take the chill off
the rooms. The evenings have
all been too cool to stay out of
doors. The days are very COM
Portable as to temperature. At
this altitude it rains often so
everything grows well. However,
we do have dry spells and
warm weather.
The acre was purchased early
in July of last year. The lot was
fenced on two sides with a ric-
kety fence that had to be
Strengthened and a gate put
in so I could drive into the
yard. There was an old house
18 x 20 with a lean-to kitchen,
also an old garage covered with
corrugated iron. There are four
teen 70-year old Monterey cy-
press on the lot, also a large
tree, a huge Eucalyptus and
several smaller bushes and
trees. There were some Chinese
banana trees that were trans
planted and I have twelve
young trees that will soon have
fruit. There were also four
young avocados and several
small citrus fruit trees that are
nicely started.
The place had been used for
a pig farm and was a mess of
junk and weeds. At first I
had a little difficulty getting
steady help but after several
months all of the old wire,
posts, old stoves, tin cans,
weeds, dead grass, ct cetera,
were cleared off and I could
see what the ground looked like.
The old leanto kitchen was torn
down and gradually the place
began to look like a future
home site.
I have planted more than $50
Monterey SypreSS in a hedge
all around the acre and then in
groupings for landscaping. Be-
sides I have planted nearly 100
mock orange, many Towering
trees and shrubs, also figs, pa
paias, strawberry guavaS, cit
rus trees, macadamia nut, etc.
The weed problem was terrific,
but the whole place has been
completely cleaned four times
and there are very few weeds to
bother with now.
After several months of fig
uring, finally a contract was
let for the building of my house
and T moved in January 20.
Since then I have had a COM
bination wash and store house
and a fern house built.
The frame work and some of
the wall boards of the old house
were used in the house and
more space added. The house
has a large combination living
and dining room with a small
alcove off the side. There is a
bedroom, bath, convenient kit
chen and a garage under the
same roof. My kitchen cup
boards are what a home dem
~onstration agent should plan.
For heating I have a Franklin
stove. In case you do not know
what they are I will explain. It
is a stove built like a fireplace
with an open crate. It costs
one-sixth the price of a fire
place and is very satisfactory
for a small house. My house has
lots of cupboards, closets,
shelves and storage space. There
are several windows on each
side and a French door to the
front porch so the house Is
light and airy. The outside is
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