208 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
June. 
Letters from the Sandwich Islands.—No. 1. 
Honolula, Oahii, March 5th, 1852. 
L. Tucker, Esq. —The Hawaiian Islands are interest¬ 
ing to the agricultural as well as to the commercial com¬ 
munity of the United States, and as communications re¬ 
lative to the agriculture of these islands do not often reach 
your publications, a letter from a farmer may be accept¬ 
able. A residence of nearly a year on Oahii, and inter¬ 
course with individuals of long experience from all of the 
islands, have given me the opportunity of obtaining a gen¬ 
eral knowledge of the state and prospects of agriculture 
in the group. 
The Islands, as is generally known, are of volcanic 
origin, and the surface of the country is for the greater 
part mountainous. Many of the mountains are precipi¬ 
tous and inaccessible, while others, attaining to the ele¬ 
vation of from 8,000 to 14,000 feet, present thousands 
of acres of highly fertile land on their sides, with a very 
gradual slope. On the windward side of the islands, 
which is visited by the greatest amount of rain, the 
mountain sides are generally wooded; but on the leeward 
in many sections the sides are barren, or slightly covered 
with grass. The mountains are all more or less cut up 
with deep ravines, which constitute an obstacle to travel¬ 
ing with wheeled vehicles. The elevated lands, at the 
height of from 3,000 to 4,000 feet, are the most favorable 
for raising the productions of temperate countries,- the 
different grains, at this elevation, thrive well. While far 
above, the summits are white with snow, the productions 
of the temperate and tropical regions are within a few 
hours ride of each other, many hundred feet below. Al¬ 
though generally mountainous, yet there are many level 
tracts; plains from 15 to 20 miles in length and from 8 
to 20 in breadth. Where these are well watered, they 
are the most fertile sections of the land; but often the 
lack of water will not admit of their being thickly popu¬ 
lated . 
The climate is salubrious, and different degrees of tem¬ 
perature can be enjoyed by change of locality. On the 
coast, the thermometer generally ranges from 70° to 80°, 
and its variation is rarely more than 12°. The trade 
wind, which most constantly prevails, renders the heat 
less oppressive. The nights are cool and favorable for 
sleep. 
Our seasons are the wet and dry. The annual rains 
Commence usually in October or November, and until 
April, an uncertainty prevails as to the weather, although 
many weeks often pass during this time without a shower. 
During this period vegetation of every kind takes a re¬ 
newed start, and the face of the country is clothed in 
green. The planting season commences with the rains. 
Generally, but one crop can be depended on during the 
year, without the aid of irrigation. At the season of the 
rains, a crop of potatoes, melons and squashes may be 
produced from almost any locality accessible; but after 
the dry season sets in, the earth becomes parched and 
dry, and in many places wide cracks are formed and 
vegetation withers. 
The soil of the group is formed chiefly of decomposed 
lava, and it is supposed that it will improve in quality as 
time causes its more perfect decomposition. There are 
belts of land on mountains which seem to be the decom¬ 
posed ashes from some remote volcanic eruption; the soil 
is very light and a staff may be easily thrust to the 
depth of two or three feet beneath the surface; such soil 
is in the highest degree fertile. 
Although the soil is much of it rich, yet there are 
many obstacles which the farmer is obliged to encounter, 
which are in a high degree discouraging, and which will 
require no small amount of patience and expense to over¬ 
come. At the season of planting or shortly after, in¬ 
numerable worms are hatched, and covering the ground 
they destroy fields of tender plants; the grass is devour¬ 
ed, and the country looks blighted. The rains which 
start vegetation, also start the worms, which are a spe¬ 
cies of caterpillar. The attempt to groAv peas, and some 
other American garden vegetables has, almost invariably 
proved a failure, and old residents no longer attempt to 
cultivate them. The present year, within my own ob¬ 
servation, fine fields of corn have been cut off, to the 
discouragement and the loss of the owners, who consider 
it too late to plant again. 
These Islands seem to be more particularly adapted to 
the growth of sugar cane and coffee. These two produc¬ 
tions will eventually be our staples. The worms do not 
annoy these, or at least do not destroy them. 
Sugar mills, on an extensive scale, are established on 
various islands, and coffee plantations are also existing. 
The chief drawback to the success of these two branches 
is the scarcity of laborers, and the high rates which are 
demanded by the Islanders for their services. These will 
in time be obviated, as the planters and others are intro¬ 
ducing Coolies from China. When we can obtain labor¬ 
ers at reasonable compensation, we shall then be able to 
compete with sugar-growers in Manilla and elsewhere, 
whose productions now glut the market of California. 
The last year thousands of ^pounds of coffee were lost on 
plantations for want of hands to pick it; and many sugar 
plantations have been obliged to suspend operations on 
account of this circumstance combined with the depres¬ 
sion of the market. The quality of sugar here has re¬ 
cently been much improved by the introduction of ma¬ 
chinery for drying and refining it. The “ Centrifugal 
Sugar Drainer” now performs the work in two or three 
minutes, which by the former method of exposure to the 
sun took several days. The sugar is removed from the 
drainer in a beautiful state of crystalization, and it is 
now gaining a high reputation in the California market. 
Those who profess to be judges of sugar , pronounce that 
of these islands to have more strength and to go further 
than the Manilla and other sugars. The quality of the 
coffee grown here is considered as second to none, and the 
future prospects for these branches of agriculture are 
highly flattering as the neighboring states of California 
and Oregon are filling up with settlers, and promise to 
furnish us a market. 
The population of these islands is composed of the 
aborigines, and of emigrants from different civilized na¬ 
tions. The former constitute the body of the people, 
and are between 75 and 80 thousand in number; the lat¬ 
ter are the chief movers in every enterprise, and number 
between two and three thousand. Of the foreign popu¬ 
lation, individuals from the United States constitute the 
greater proportion. They are chiefly engaged in trade, 
