Jere Krischel at 00:04, 6 January 2006

2006-01-06T00:04:57Z

Ken Conklin at 07:17, 2 January 2006

2006-01-02T07:17:26Z

Jere Krischel at 18:55, 11 December 2005

2005-12-11T18:55:23Z

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638 HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
The CHAIRMAN. A continuous crop; so that when a man takes up a
taro root he can put another in its place ?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Yes. It is said that taro will support more persons
to the acre than any other article of food.
The CHAIRMAN. IS it nutritious?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Very nutritious.
Senator GRAY. Palatable?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Yes, very.
The CHAIRMAN. IS it subject to any of the diseases peculiar to
vegetables ?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Not till lately. In the northernmost island, the
Kauai, there is something blighting it, and we are studying it to find
out what blights it.
The CHAIRMAN. But it is a steady, reliable crop for human sustenance?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. Are the natives fond of it?
Mr. ALEXANDER. That is their staff of life. When they say food
they mean taro.
The CHAIRMAN. DO they have it in abundance!
Mr. ALEXANDER. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. NO dearth of it, no shortness ?
Mr. ALEXANDER. In olden times they had periodical local famines.
The CHAIRMAN. Since you have been on the islands?
Mr. ALEXANDER. They have cultivated it more regularly of late.
The CHAIRMAN. Have they had any of those famine periods there
since you were born?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Yes; I remember in olden times they had periods
when taro was scarce.
Senator GRAY. Was there any suffering during that period?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Yes. They were improvident; they would overproduce
sometimes and neglect to plant.
The CHAIRMAN. IS that the first crop in importance ?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. Eice is planted for export?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Yes, for home consumption and about ten millions
of pounds a year to export.
The CHAIRMAN. At what elevation is that grown ?
Mr. ALEXANDER. It is generally grown near the sea. It is an irrigated
crop, especially on the Island of Oahu, where we have artesian
wells.
The CHAIRMAN. IS there a supply of wells on that island ?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. Are they numerous?
Mr. ALEXANDER. I think there may be nearly a hundred by this
time.
The CHAIRMAN. Are those artesian wells flowing wells in other
parts of the islands ?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Not yet. They have not made a success of the
artesian wells in any other island.
The CHAIRMAN. They have been trying to do it, but they have not
done it?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Yes, in that island they have a head of 20 to 40
feet above sea level.
The CHAIRMAN. Is it fresh water?
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 639
Mr. ALEXANDER. Yes. The rice crop, I suppose, is worth at out a
half million dollars a year.
The CHAIRMAN. Suppose that rice crop were all consumad in
Hawaii, would that be a very valuable addition to the country?
Mr. ALEXANDER. It would.
The CHAIRMAN. NOW about fruits. I believe you mentioned tropical
fruits?
Mr. ALEXANDER. The orange does very well there and the banana.
We export a good many of the latter. The pineapple we export; in
fact, the business is just commenced of raising them. Our chief markets
would be Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.
The CHAIRMAN. Have you the guava?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Yes. It grows wild.
The CHAIRMAN. Lemons and limes?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. Cocoanuts?
Mr. ALEXANDER. To a certain extent.
The CHAIRMAN. Are they capable of being grown there to any extent?
Mr. ALEXANDER. On a great part of the coast, the sandy part of
the coast, they might plant cocoanut trees.
The CHAIRMAN. DO cocoanut trees prosper there?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Yes. But we are pretty near the northern limit
of the cocoanut. They do not do as well there as near the equator.
The CHAIRMAN. DO you raise grapes ?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. IS Hawaii a good grape country?
Mr. ALEXANDER. I think it is.
The CHAIRMAN. Equal to California?
Mr. ALEXANDER. I think not. Coffee would be one of our most
important crops. The coffee is of a good quality.
Senator FRYE. Mr. Spalding, who appeared before the committee,
was asked by me about the coffee crop, and he suggested that it was
doubtful about raising coffee successfully, because there was a blight
on the trees there.
Mr. ALEXANDER. There was a blight on them in the fifties, and the
people were discouraged; but it seems now to have nearly disappeared,
and it depends on good judgment in cultivation. We are not afraid of
it. We never had the blight that they had in Ceylon, nothing like
that; our blight is of a different character.
The CHAIRMAN. It is an insect, is it not?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Of a vegetable nature, I think.
The CHAIRMAN. Parasitic?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Yes. In Ceylon it was very deadly. We have
made strict laws about bringing in plants, to prevent more blights.
The coffee iuterest has now taken quite a start in Hawaii.
Senator FRYE. And in your opinion it will prove very successful?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. Does the Government of Hawaii take care of the
production of human food by protective laws?
Mr. ALEXANDER. We have a department established, a bureau of
forestry and agriculture, which is importing and experimenting with
plants,* supplying them to farmers, etc.
The CHAIRMAN. YOU have Government farms for raising those?
Mr. ALEXANDER. We have experimental gardens near Honolulu.
In fact, we are just beginning.

Template:638-639 - Revision history

Jere Krischel at 00:04, 6 January 2006

Ken Conklin at 07:17, 2 January 2006

Jere Krischel at 18:55, 11 December 2005