Agricultural Finance 



60 



[July, 1910. 



long as the quality of the rice, however, 

 is ununiform, it is unsafe for a com- 

 mission man to make such an advance: 



This condition in the rice industry is 

 mentioned chiefly for the purpose of 

 calling attention to the fact that the 

 troubles in developing a diversified 

 farming industry in Hawaii are not due 

 solely to unsympathetic commission men 

 and transportation companies, but are 

 partly due to the carelessness and lack 

 of business methods among the pro- 

 ducers themselves. 



Article IV. 

 The crops and products which have 

 been mentioned in previous articles as 

 being in demand by the local trade 

 constitute only a part of those which 

 are consumed in the Territory, and 

 which can be grown profitably. We 

 might also mention potatoes, peppers, 

 aud a large variety of garden truck, and 

 also forage plants, especially for horses 

 and chickens. The high cost of imported 

 feeds is the chief obstacle in the way of 

 profitable poultry raising in the Islands, 

 and this obstacle can be overcome only 

 by producing local feeds in quantities 

 sufficient to meet the demand. Those 

 individuals who have entered upon the 

 business of producing forage for horses 

 have met with encouraging financial 

 success. The number of horses and 

 mules in the Territory is constantly 

 increasing, especially in connection 

 with the military posts established on 

 the Island of Oahu, Wheat hay and 

 barley have been grown here and can be 

 produced profitably. Alfalfa hay could 

 well be produced in a much larger 

 quantity than at present, aud a pro- 

 fitable sale would be found for it if more 

 earnest attention were given to the 

 matter. 



Without going into more details con- 

 cerning the individual crops which 

 should constitute the bulk of our 

 Island produce, we may say that we 

 have already shown that these products 

 are now demanded by the consumer, 

 that with very few exceptions, at least, 

 the local dealers and commission men 

 are glad to handle local products, 

 and that the only reason why such 

 large quantities of these products are 

 imported is that they cannot be obtained 

 from local sources. The next question 

 which constitutes a part of our inquiry 

 is whether these things can be grown 

 successfully in Hawaii. In reply to such 

 a question, we receive various answers. 

 In the first place, one hears of the 

 numerous failures which have occurred. 

 The seed was unsatisfactory, and either 

 rotted in the soil or produced miserable 



plants and an unsaleable crop. If no 

 trouble was experienced with the seeds, 

 then the horde of insects appeared at 

 an unfortunate moment and destroyed 

 the crop,— and so on through the long 

 list of troubles which the small farmer 

 has met with in Hawaii. In reply to 

 these complaints, it should be stated at 

 once that the long list of griefs and 

 troubles which have fallen to the lot 

 of the small producer in Hawaii are 

 exactly the same as those which have 

 beeu met and overcome in every locality 

 where farming is successful. The 

 methods to be adopted for overcoming 

 these troubles are slightly different 

 with us from those of other localities, 

 but are not more difficult of application. 

 If one has doubts about the production 

 of garden truck in Hawaii, he has merely 

 to visit a Chinese truck garden, in which 

 he will find all sorts of garden vege- 

 tables in flourishing condition. Are all 

 other races to admit that the Chinese 

 alone have secrets by means of which 

 they can produce vegetables, while 

 others must fail ? The chief, and only, 

 secret of the success of the Chinese 

 gardeners lies in the fact that they are al- 

 ways at work giving attention to their 

 crops whenever it is needed. The me- 

 thods of large ranches and plantations, 

 which have gone through cultural and 

 business difficulties, and finally emerged 

 on the smooth road of ease and success, 

 are not those of the cultivator of a few 

 acres. No man, to whatever race he 

 may belong, can hope to make a living, 

 and lay up some thing for the future, 

 from ten acres of land if he adopts the 

 habit of living in a city, riding about 

 in automobiles and leaving the entire 

 management and actual work of his 

 homestead in the hands of hired labour. 

 Success from a small acreage depends 

 strictly on giving one's own attention 

 and own labour to the development of 

 the place. Those who are not willing to 

 do this can assuredly hope for little 

 profit from the returns of a few acres 

 worked by more or less disinterested 

 parties. 



Article V, 



A by no means rare complaint which 

 is heard in various parts of the Islands 

 is that the most influential persons of 

 the Territoiy are not in favour of the 

 development of minor agricultural indus- 

 tries, or are even antagonistic to such 

 development. This complaint is really 

 not well founded and cannot be consi- 

 dered as true under the circumstances, 

 except with certain specific qualifi- 

 cations. Numerous attempts have been 

 made to provide the lands and means 



