1692 ISLAND DEPENDENCIES 



Hawaiian Islands. 



The group known as the Hawaiian Islands (Fig. 1985) 

 is located about 2, 100 miles from San Francisco in a south- 

 westerly direction. These were named the Sandwich 

 Islands by the discoverer, Captain Cook, but this desig- 

 nation was abandoned many years ago for the original 

 native name, taken from that of the largest member 

 of the group, Hawaii. Since annexation to the United 

 States, the Hawaiian Islands have been officially known 

 as the Territory of Hawaii . Disregarding small and unim- 

 portant islands, Hawaii lies between the parallels 18° 

 50' and 23° 5' north latitude and between the meridians 

 154° 40' and 160° 50' west longitude. The five most 

 important islands have an area of about 6,200 square 

 miles, or rather less than that of Massachusetts, and 

 extend about 380 miles from northwest to southeast. 



It is hardly correct to speak of the climate of Hawaii, 



ISLAND DEPENDENCIES 



throughout the year, while others only 2 or 3 miles 

 distant practise irrigation constantly. Some of the 

 great sugar-cane plantations depend wholly upon the 

 natural supply of water, while others could not grow 

 cane at all without their expensive systems of artesian 

 wells and irrigation. 



Similarly there is a great variation in the temperature 

 in difTerent parts of this small but important country, 

 but exceedingly sUght variations with the changing sea- 

 sons. The windward side is cooler than that which is 

 sheltered by the mountains, but in no part of the islands 

 is the heat so intense as would be expected from their 

 location within the tropics. Only rarely, in the hottest 

 locahties, does the mercury rise to 90° F. Again, the 

 variation in elevation from sea-level to many thousand 

 feet gives a hke variation in temperature, so that some 

 of the mountains of the largest island are covered with 

 snow during a part of the year. In short, so far as 



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K A UAI/^ ^ 



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1985. Hawaiian Islands. 



for there are so many different climates in this small 

 area. The extent of the rainfall, for example, which 

 forms so important a factor in the horticultural condi- 

 tions of a country, is decidedly divergent in different 

 regions and even in locahties within a few miles of each 

 other. To understand the climatic conditions, it is 

 necessary to recall that these islands are of volcanic for- 

 mation, their central parts and the larger part of their 

 area being occupied by rugged and high mountains, 

 descending sometimes gradually, sometimes precipi- 

 tously to the sea and with valleys or tablelands lying 

 between the ranges and narrow plains near the coast. 

 Being in the path of the northeast trade-winds, the 

 windward side of the islands receives an abundant rain- 

 fall tlu-oughout the year, while the southwest shores 

 are comparatively dry. Thus, at Honolulu, on the 

 southwest shore of Oahu, the annual rainfall averages 

 about 38 inches, while that of the city of Hilo, on the 

 windward side of the island of Hawaii, measures 12 feet. 

 Even within a very narrow range, as, for example, the 

 limits of the city of Honolulu, there is great variation 

 in rainfall, certain locahties receiving frequent rains 



climate is concerned, the Hawaiian Islands offer all 

 that could be asked for great and diversified horticul- 

 tural industries. 



Only a small proportion of the total area of the coun- 

 try is suitable for cultivation. The lands lying near the 

 shore and along the lower slopes of the mountains are 

 occupied almost exclusively by sugar-cane, with an 

 occasional banana plantation and with rice and taro 

 growmg on the low vaUey bottoms which can be kept 

 submerged for these aquatic plants. The cane-belt 

 rises to an elevation of only a few hundred feet on some 

 plantations, hmited by the cost of pumping water, 

 but in some other localities it extends to nearly 2,000 

 feet. These lower lands are well adapted to the growth 

 of tropical fruits and such, together with many of the 

 vegetables and flowers of the temperate and tropical 

 zones, may be found in gardens. Above the cane-belt 

 are lands also suited to such tropical crops as pine- 

 apples and coffee, and still higher there are some areas 

 where apples, peaches, plums and many temperate- 

 zone fruits may be grown, although none of these crops 

 has become the basis of an industry. The regions on 



