4()('» in-l'oKT OK OFFICK <>K EXJ'KKI.MKNT STATlOJSS. 



PINEAPPLES. 



riu'ic MIC I wo lariic piiicappU' caimorios in successful opomtioii on 

 the island of ()aliu. Pineapples jj^row nciv lliriftilv :il middle eleva- 

 tions on all of the islands, especially from 1.(><m» feet upwaid. Kxperi- 

 nients in the i-ultivatiou of this crop haxc heen carried on for full\'^ 

 twenty years. Practically ail of the known varieties have been 

 imported from all parts of the world wliere this fruit is ^rown. As a 

 result of these experiments, carried on by private individuals, it has 

 V)een found that the ISmooth Cayenne variety is the best adapted to 

 Hawaiian conditions. 



The fruit attains a deoree of excellence not surpassed by an}- other 

 cro}) of sul)tropical fruit. It is said that previous to the annexation 

 of the Hawaiian Islands, canned pineapples imported into the United 

 States from here were made to pay a duty as fruit preserved in 

 suj);ar, although, as a matter of fact, no sugar was used in the canning 

 process, the fruit simply being preserved in its own juices. The 

 Hawaiian canned |)ineapYjles are superior in quality to any others now 

 placed on'the American market, ))ecause the}' are allowed to ripen and 

 attain their fullest development in the lield. They compete in the 

 markets with similar fruit which has been shipped from the West 

 Indies or Mexico. Pineapples which are shipped long distances must 

 be harvested before they are completely ripe, and hence none of the 

 same class of goods put up for the Eastern markets can in any way 

 compare in quality or flavor with the Hawaiian pines which are hot 

 placed in cans until fidly and completel}^ ripe. The prices obtained 

 by the local packers for their product are nuich in excess of prices 

 obtained bv the canneries anywhere on the mainland. The demand 

 for our product has been thus far much greater than the possible 

 suppl3\ The pines have not been aflected by any serious disease. 

 They are also comparativeh' free from insect injury, the only pests 

 infesting the plants being mealy bugs and scale insects, and these in 

 too small numbers to cause any serious damage. The soils devoted to 

 pmeapple cultivation are at an elevation of from 1,000 to 2,000 feet. 

 The mean summer temperatures of this pineapple belt range from 5 to 

 10 degrees lower than temperatures in the vicinity of Honolulu or at 

 sea level. The soils arc mostly virgin, never having been used for 

 any other crop. Being somewhat acid, the soils improve with culti- 

 vation and give better results the fourth and iifth 3 ear after setting 

 out the plantation than the second 3^ear, when the first crop comes into 

 bearing. There are man3' thousand acres of land suited to the culti- 

 vation of pineapples, and the industr3^ is capable of ver}'^ great expan- 

 sion. As long as the Hawaiian growers maintain the high standard 

 of excellence now existing, there will be an almost unlimited market. 

 There is now a v^er3' considerable trade in the shipment of the fresh 

 pines to the markets of the l*acitic coast, an industr3' which is also 

 capable of considerable extension. (PI. XV, fig. 1.) 



