1899 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
3i i 
UNCLE SAM’S NEW ISLANDS. 
A SANDWICH OF VOLCANO AND SEA. 
A Farmer’s Opinion of Its Agricultural Value. 
Part I. 
Some False Reports. —Mr. C. E. Hoskins, of 
Oregon, having spent nearly a year in Ihe Hawaiian 
Islands just before they were annexed to the United 
States, has given me some information about things 
there. He is a farmer, travels with his eyes opeD, 
and is not afraid to say just what he thinks. So I 
asked him, 
“ What do you think of Uncle Sam’s new domain as 
a whole, and of our probable gain or loss by the 
acquisition of these Pacific Islands, after being there 
so long and nosing into about every corner ? ” 
“You may well say ‘nosing around’, for, many 
times, when I was asking an official for information 
important to me, he would give me a stare, and shut 
his mouth like a steel trap He was afraid I might 
find out something that they wanted to keep from us. 
But all were not so Some were kind, pleasantly 
obliging, and ready to give the help I desired. I 
found that many things published by the Hawaiian 
government are not true, and they knew it For in¬ 
stance, ‘ the Bay of Honolulu large enough for the 
ships of the world ’; ‘ Paradise of the Pacific,’ etc. 
They are the gainers, and asked for annexation from 
a purely selfish standpoint. Consequently, we will 
be the losers, especially in years to come. The Islands 
are valuable to us as a coaling and cable station only.” 
Climate and Soil. —“What do you think of the 
climate and soil, for I believe you traveled all over 
the principal islands of the group, and into the moun¬ 
tains as well as over the lowlands ?” 
“ YiS, I was over about all of the parts that were 
worth seeing. The climate is fine for a few months, 
but it is too warm for the Anglo-Saxon to eDjoy, un¬ 
less born there. Cuts of all kinds are likely to end 
in blood-poisoning. Blood diseases of all kinds, up 
to leprosy, are aided in intensity by the climate. Hot 
and cold waves are said to be unknown there. The 
highest temperature in 12 years was 89 degrees F., 
and the lowest 54 degrees at sea level. It is quite 
cool if not cold up the mountains. Thunderstorms 
are rare, and the sky is usually clear. The prevailing 
winds are from the north, which makes the southerly 
exposed valleys very dry and equable. The annual 
rainfall at Honolulu is three feet, but on the Island 
of Hawaii it is 15 feet. Malarial diseases are Baid to 
be very rare.” 
“ What is the land like on the islands ?” 
“The soil is of volcanic origin, and is both good 
and bad. Most of the surface of all the islands is 
mountains and lava beds. On Kauai, the most north¬ 
westerly island, the soil is the oldest and best; but 
good soil is found in some places on all of them. On 
Molokai and the smaller ones, the eruptions have been 
of too recent dates to admit of much good soil. On 
Oahu, which is the one on which Honolulu is situated, 
the good land is from one-fourth of a mile to two 
miles wide next the sea, and the same may be said of 
all of them. It slopes gently from high, precipitous 
mountains, which always have extinct craters at their 
tops, excepting those on Hawaii, where two are ac¬ 
tive Possibly about one-tenth of the surface of the 
islands is suited to the growth of grass and cultivated 
crops. The soil looks like decomposed brick, with 
volcanic ashes mixed in in some places, that make it 
look like coal ashes. Without water, it is almost 
worthless. Some of the high tablelands make nice 
grazing grounds, and the coast lands are where sugar 
cane is grown ” 
The Sugar Business. —“What about the sugar 
business ? Will the production there interfere with 
our beet-sugar industry here ? What will be their 
suga” production as compared with that of the West 
Indies ? ” 
“ In my opin'on, the production of sugar is about 
all the Hawaiian Islands will ever do in a commercial 
way in the world's markets, and when we destroy the 
present system of contract labor, the sugar business 
will go, too. This contract system is worse than our 
American slavery ever was. The laborers, Chinese 
and Japs mostly, get $7 per month and board them¬ 
selves. They buy everything they eat from the planta¬ 
tion stores. This keeps them always in debt. There 
is no way for them to escape from the Islands, for the 
few ports are all guarded, and they must either go to 
the mountains to starve, or into the sea for shark 
food. I talked with the best-informed sugar growers 
on the Islands, and they told me there is more made 
in speculation in sugar bonds and stocks than in the 
sugar business proper. The cane lands there are so 
limited that, when Cuba is put to rights, it will be 
hard on Hawaii. We have so much choice beet-sugar 
land in this country, and the manufacturing is so well 
started, that it is my prediction that, before 10 years, 
we as a nation will be making most of our own sugar.” 
“ How about their coffee growing ? We hear of that 
being a good coffee country. I saw many samples, and 
tasted good coffee made on the Hawaiian space at the 
Omaha Exposition last Fall,” 
“Yes, but they grow very little as yet. A banking 
firm at Honolulu is lending money on coffee lands as 
security, mostly on the island of Hawaii, and they 
and some other speculators are trying to boom the 
business, while they and the so-called growers know 
almost nothing about the matter practically If prac¬ 
tical men take it up, it may be made a success.” 
“ How about rice growing there ? ” 
“ Rice is not largely grown, and never can be, 
because the lands that are suitable for it there are 
very limited.” 
“ Did you see the taro plant, which is said to be one 
of the staples of those Islands ? ” 
“ Yes, I saw plenty of patches of it. They looked 
like great masses of callas, to which, you know, they 
are closely related. The tubers only are eaten by the 
natives, except as an experiment. Strangers do not 
like taro as the natives prepare it, at least at first 
trial. They steam or boil the tubers, strip off the 
skins, mash the pulp, and let it stand a day or two to 
ferment. Then they mix in water and stir it into a 
sort of thin mush or batter. This they call poi. It is 
the national dish. To me it tastes like sour dough 
with a little apple sauce mixed in. I liked it better 
after getting used to it. My daughter would not 
touch it. The natives eat it by all dipping from the 
same dish, by using one, two or three fingers, accord¬ 
ing to the thinness of the mixture.” 
Bananas and Fruits.— “ Do they grow many 
bananas there ?” 
“ No The land suitable to the banana is very lim¬ 
ited. The Chinese grow a few, in the old, crude way 
—all by hand work. Some white men who had hired 
some Chinese to grow some for them, said it did not 
pay. Everything of the kind must be done on a small 
scale, because the islands are small, and the home de¬ 
mand is small. There is no use trying to make it pay 
to ship them to California. I do not believe the ship¬ 
ping of any fruits from there will pay.” 
“ What is the best fruit you ate there ?” 
“The mango. There are many kinds, but all seed¬ 
lings. The trees are large and as healthy as can be. 
The fruit is very delicious, and if care were given to 
the selection and propagation of the choicest varie¬ 
ties by grafting, there would be much more enjoy¬ 
ment in eating it. The poorer kinds have stringy 
flesh and are small.” 
“ I have heard that the guava grows almost wild. 
Why cannot guava jellymaking become a profitable 
industry ? ” 
“ You have heard correctly as to the abundance of 
the bushes and trees, for they do grow wherever seeds 
happen to be scattered. The fruit is not much used, 
but some jelly is made just as we make wild black¬ 
berry jelly. But with the duty off, as it must be now, 
the shipments to this country might pay. They have 
plenty of guavas, could easily grow more, and they 
have cheap sugar. We make such cheap jellies here 
out of gelatine and a little flavoring, that a good jelly 
hardly pays. Besides, the distance is too far. We 
tried apple jellymaking in Oregm, and it does not 
pay, even wtere apples are worth but 10 cents per 
bushel.” 
“So you call guava jelly-makiDg a failure except 
for home use V ” 
“ Yes I do, and the orange and lemon business is a 
commercial failure there, too. All kinds will grow 
there, but nearly all they have are seedlings. I did 
not see any good Washington Navel oranges there. 
All their oraDges have plenty of ‘rag’ inside, but 
their flavor is fine.”. h. e van deman. 
Events of the Week. 
Domestic.—Fire started in a residence in New York, April 7, 
resulting in the death of 12 inmates, and the crippling of two sur¬ 
vivors. A spark from this fire was borne by the wind into the 
open window of another house two blocks distant, setting Are to 
the house, and causing the death of one person and toe injury of 
seven others. Both houses were in the tine residence district of 
the city. . . A #20,000,000 ccilia trust has been formed. . . A 
legislative committee began investigating the Tammany man¬ 
agement of New York City April 8. They began at the top, with 
the Building Department, which shows extensive corruption. . . 
At Glendive, Mon , the Yellowstone River rose 30 feet in one hour 
April 9, the breaking ice being jammed against the bridge. A 
large territory is under water, and 12 persons were drowned. . . 
A clash between white and colored miners was caused by a 
negro at Pana, Ill, April 10; in the fight that followed, seven 
persons were shot dead and 20 wounded. Tne fight occurred on 
the principal business street, and many of those injured were 
inoffensive citizens. An appeal for troops to control the rioters 
was at first refused by Gov. Tanner, but later two companies of 
militia were sent, and quiet was restored. . . The New York 
State Senate passed, April 11, a bill providing for the taxation of 
corporate franchises as real estate. . . Four men were killed 
and 20 more or less injured April 11 by the collapse of the wooden 
scaffolding intended to carry the first span of a new bridge 
across the Harlem River, New York City. . , The condition of 
war with Spain, which has existed since April 21,1898, terminated 
April 11, when the exchange of ratifications of the peace treaty 
took place at the White House, between President McKinley and 
the French Ambassador. . . The country residence of W K. 
Vanderbilt, at Oakdale, L I., at which W. K Vanderbilt Jr. was 
spending bis honeymoon, was destroyed by fire April 11; loss 
$250,000. . . April 13 vast prairie fires were raging in Nebraska, 
in a section chiefly consisting of hay flats. Many ranches have 
been destroyed, snd the residents escaped with difficulty. . . 
The German steamer Lahn. from Bremen, arrived at New York 
April 13 with 10 cases of smallpox on board. . . The trial of 
Senator Quay, of Pennsylvania, for conspiracy, now in progress, 
brought out as evidence the secret accounts of the dead cashier 
of the People’s Bank. It will prove damaging to Quay. . . 
The hoop-iron and cotton-tie interests of the United States have 
combined, with a capital of $33,000,000. . . A terrific electric 
storm visited Ogdensburg, N. Y., April 14. A buttertub factory 
at Parishville was struck by lightning, and burned; loss $50,000. 
Two men were severely injured by electric shock. 
Army an<l Supplies —April 6 several witnesses testified to an 
epidemic of diarrhea which followed the use of refrigerated beef. 
A letter from Armour* Co. was read, which offered to supply 
“processed” or preserved beef. . . April 7, 80 brief reports 
from army officers were read. The majority of them condemned 
the canned beef. . . The iDventorof the Powell process for 
preserving meat was a witness April 8. He stated that neither 
boric nor salicylic acids was used, and that his process had not 
been used by packers supplying meat to the army. A number of 
further reports were read, strongly condemning the canned 
roast beef. . . April 10 Dr. Castle detailed a conversation with 
an agent of Armour & Co , in Florida, in which reference was 
made to chemical treatment of the beef. Dr. Castle said he had 
his suspicions because of the odor of the beef. It was not the 
objectionable odor of decomposition. It was an aromatic, acrid, 
sour odor. He came to the conclusion that the treatment of the 
beef was due to the use of either the gas formaldehyde or the for¬ 
malin. He was of the opinion that the discolorations on the beef 
were due to the commencement of decomposition. He made no 
report on the discovery made by him afout the use of chemicals. 
“ The agent spoke so frankly about it,” he said, “ that I thought 
it was known by the Commissary Department and Medical De¬ 
partment.” He said the gas formaldehyde was used as a disin¬ 
fectant in the form of fumes. His opinion was that the beef had 
been treated by the fumes of this gas. To treat it this way would 
necessitate the beef being submitted to the fumes in a closed 
chamber for several hours. Dr. Castle said that the formalin 
would be very irritating to the mucous membranes, but would be 
dissipated in cooking. . . Gen. Shafter was a witness April 
11. He said that the refrigerated and canned roast beef was 
satisfactory, and he knew nothing of complaints when in Cuba. 
Gen. Shafter detailed a conversation with Commissary Gen. 
Eagan about the canned roast beef, which he (Gen. Shafter) at 
that time believed to be genuine roast beef. Asked if after all 
that bad occurred he considered canned roast beef worthy of a 
further trial, Gen. Shafter reiterated his statement that he knew 
of no substitute. His own preference would be for bacon, but, 
while it was uninviting and not palatable, he did not consider 
canned roast beef unfit for food. Any canned meat in such a 
high temperature that when opened the grease would run off 
would be far from appetizing. But he would not therefore con¬ 
demn it. In a cold climate he would regard the canned roast 
beef as very good indeed. To carry fresh beef on the hoof he re¬ 
garded as absolutely out of the question. None of the division 
commanders (Wheeler, Kent, or Lawton) had complained of the 
ration officially. “ But if there had been complaints to them,” 
said Gen. Shafter, “I hardly think they would have reported it. 
They were sensible men. It was all we had. Nothing could have 
been done.” 
Cuba.—The rural police, assisted by soldiers, have jailed 22 
bandits at Santiago, all of whom are charged with murder. 
They have held up citizens, attacked pack trains, and burned 
plantations. Salutary and prompt punishment will be given 
them. . . The Cuban generals have reinstated Gen. Gomez as 
commander in chief. . . A big strike has begun amoHg em¬ 
ployees of the Havana railways, and no trains except mail were 
running April 9 between Havana, Mataczas and Santa Clara. 
The strikers sent a deputation to Gen. Brooke, to inform him 
that they had no desire to hamper the military government, and 
that they would man trains for conveying United States troops 
and mails, but no others. The cause of the strike was a demand 
for the same scale of wages as be'ore the war. . . An Ameri¬ 
can soldier was shot and killed by a Cuban policeman at El 
Vedado April 10. Ill feeling between the soldiers and the police 
force is growing. 
Philippines—Bandits caused a small uprising on Negros Isl¬ 
and, but were promptly suppressed. . . Malolos has proved an 
undesirable base, owing to the bad water supply, and a change 
will be made. . . MacArthur’s division advanced against the 
insurgents April 9. . . April 10 Gen. Lawton captured Santa 
Cruz, the capital of the Laguna Province, after a sharp fight. 
The rebel positions were shelled by gunboats. Oar loss, six 
wounded; rebel loss, 68 killed and 40 wounded. . . Spain 
will pay interest on Philippine bonds, and. redeem them. 
. . Treacherous Filipinos attempted to cut the American line 
of communication between Manila and Malolos April 11, but 
were repulsed. . . April 12 Gen. Wheaton captured Santa 
Maria, and Gen. Lawton pursued the insurgents east from Santa 
Cruz, captured all the larger vessels used in the lake trade, and 
a Spanish gunboat. 
General Foreign News.—On April l,a force of 800 Samoans 
at Apia ambushed 105 American and British marines on a Ger¬ 
man plantation, forcing them to retreat. Four American and 
three British sailors were killed, among them Lieut. Lansdale 
and Ensign Monaghan of the Philadelphia, and Lieut. Freeman 
of the British cruiser Tauranga The dead were mutilated by 
the natives, their heads teing cut off and carried away, but 
French priests secured the heads, and brought them in. The 
German manager of the plantation was arrested and taken on 
board the Tauranga, upon affidavits that he was seen urging the 
rebels to fight. Reenforcements are needed to restore order. 
The British cruiser Wallaroo and gunboat Goldfinch have been 
ordered to proceed to Apia from the Australian station. Inter¬ 
national comp.ications are feared. The German government de¬ 
nies responsibility for the conduct of its subordinates in Samoa. 
. . The cruiser Detroit has been ordered to Bluefields, Nica¬ 
ragua, to protect American interests, which are in peril there. 
. . Famine and typhus continue to cause terrible suffering 
in Russia. In the Province of Kazan, the Tartars are Moham¬ 
medans, and refuse to accept relief, fearing an attempt to force 
them into the Greek Church. Rioting has occurred in many 
places. . . It is reported from Paris that Dr. Bra, a bacteriolo¬ 
gist, has succeeded in isolating the bacillus of cancer, which 
leads to hopes of a remedy for this disease. 
