HAWAIIAN ISLANDS 



713 



Islands. The chief horticultural regions are at A, B, D, E. 



are some extensive coffee sections on the island of 

 Hawaii, particularly the district of Kona, whose coffee 

 has established a reputation for peculiar excellence of 

 flavor. There are no large areas devoted to horticulture, 

 but perhaps the most important horticultural regions, 

 at the present time, are on the islands of Hawaii and 

 Oahu. Some of the elevated lands of Maui help to sup- 

 ply the Honolulu market with potatoes. The main 

 horticultural areas are designated on the map by the 

 letters A, B. D, E. 



Present Status of Horticulture. —As will be seen 

 from the foregoing statements, horticulture is as yet 

 quite undeveloped. Almost all the scientific effort and 

 investigation in agriculture (using that term in its 

 wider meaning) have been devoted to sugar-cane, for 

 until recently the sugar planters' experiment station 

 has been the only agricultural institution in the islands. 

 There is, however, some considerable variety of horti- 

 cultural products, and the cultivation of some of these 

 has assumed commercial proportions. Among the latter 

 in the field of pomology is the banana, of which there 

 are many different varieties in the country. Some of 

 these grow wild in the woods, as do also oranges and 

 limes. Bananas and a few pineapples are the only 

 fruits grown to any extent for export, though the peo- 

 ple are awakening to the horticultural possibilities, and 

 some are planting other fruits. The export of bananas 

 for the year 1808 amounted to 76,000 bunches, and the 

 home consumption, though no record is taken of it, 

 would doubtless be found considerably greater. These 

 are raised chiefly by the Chinese, but there are also 

 white men in the business who, by their superior skill, 

 produce a finer fruit. 



The oranges are seed gs almost without exception, 



but some of these are, in the writer's opinion, well 

 worthy of propagation, having a flavor which many pre- 

 fer to that of the fruit imported from California. The 

 island of Hawaii produces most of the home-grown 

 oranges in the market, but the gardens of all the islands 

 have their orange trees. 



Grapes for the Honolulu market are grown for the 

 most part by the Portuguese within the limits of the 

 city. The Isabella and the Concord are the only two va- 

 rieties that have succeeded thus far, but there can be no 



doubt that this is due merely to the lack of scientific 

 and persistent effort. Peaches thus far have failed, and 

 possibly for the same reason. They, however, do not 

 take any decided season of rest. Grapes are pruned 

 twice per year frequently — in fact usually— and are 

 made to produce two crops per year. Among the other 

 fruits which are much esteemed are the cocoanut, 

 papaya {Cartca Papaya), alligator pear {Persea gra- 

 tissima), mango, fig, guava, lime, and other tropical 

 and subtropical fruits. Apples have been grown on the 

 higher elevations of Hawaii, but plums, pears and apri- 

 cots have not yet been made to succeed to any extent. 



Vegetable gardening is conducted chiefly by the Chi- 

 nese, who grow most of the commoner and more easily 

 managed vegetables. These are marketed from house 

 to house in baskets, balanced on a pole over the shoul- 

 der. The taro (Colocasia), which when manufactured 

 into "poi" forms the chief food of the natives, is also 

 now grown chiefly by the Chinese. 



In floriculture, asters and carnations and a few other 

 flowers are produced by the Portuguese and natives in 

 the vicinity of Honolulu for sale in the flower market, 

 which consists of the open sidewalk lined with Hawaiian 

 men and women sitting against the buildings sleeping 

 or smoking or making "leis." These "leis" (lays) are 

 solid wreaths of flowers, which, according to Hawaiian 

 custom, are thrown about the shoulders of friends de- 

 parting on a voyage. This is mentioned here since 

 more flowers are probably sold in this form than in any 

 other way. Many plants, such as carnations, violets, 

 pansies and the like, when grown on the lower lands, 

 are cultivated in boxes raised some distance from the 

 ground, for the ground temperature seems to be rather 

 too high to produce the best results. Hawaii is not 

 quite so much a "land of flowers" to-day as in years 

 gone by, for in recent years a most devastating pest, 

 commonly known as the Japanese beetle, has driven the 

 rose and other plants almost completely out of cultiva- 

 tion. This, which is the most important insect enemy 

 to horticulture, has been combated with its natural 

 enemies in the way of fungi, and, though still a serious 

 pest, its numbers are not so great as formerly. 



Landscape gardening may be mentioned, since it bears 

 so close a relation to horticulture. Much money has 



