The master planter; or, Life in the cane fields of Hawaii

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Dedication vii

Dedication

This book is most respectfully dedicated to the memory of the late Honorable Paul Isenberg,

A man who rose from the ranks in the cultivation of sugar on the Hawaiian Islands. A man whose broad sympathies reached out to the laborer of every nationality, and whose hand was always open to assist any one in distress. A man for whom the Hawaiians had the greatest respect and veneration, and who did much for their advancement by his example, assistance and advice. A man of that Teutonic race which will eventually dominate the globe from its inherent love of and maintenance of the purity of their homes and their observance of the Sabbath day.

The Author.

Chapter I A New Home In A New Country, And The Introduction Of

THE HERO.

AWAY back in the early sixties, in a little cabin in one of the ravines leading- into Grass Valley, Nevada County, California, there lived a small family, the history of the head of which it is the intention to relate in the following chapters.

^ Our hero had come from Kansas, and the miners, addicted to giving nicknames, had dubbed him "Kansas" from his hailing from that State ; but in reality he had lived there only five years, having emigrated from the northern part of the State of New York. He was a tall, dark-whiskered man of thoughtful mien and reflective mood, while his wife was a sprightlv little lady of a most cheerful disposition. The young couple ^had a child born to them in Wichita, but the little girl sickened and died, and the parents felt that Kansas could no longer be home to them, so they turned their faces westward. They had accumulated a little sum of money, and could have done well enough but for the spirit of unrest which took possession of them afte^ "the light of the household" had gone out. They had a friend in Grass Valley whose glowing description of California, and especially of that region, determined them to cast in their fortunes and grow up with the State.

After a long and weary journey from the end of the then imcompleted railroad they arrived at their goal. Their friend was not to be found, he having drifted after the ignis-fatuics of rich reports in a distant field, as so many of the miners did. The surrounding country pleased them, and at this season was covered with innumerable species of wild flowers such as they had never seen in the east. Although an horticulturist by study and profession he saw colors such as he had never seen before. Brown, green, and drab lilies growing wild, yuccas ten feet high covered with a cloud of iridescent bells, flowers whose brilliancy could be matched nowhere on this mundane sphere, and the whole surface of the undulating country clothed with a carpet of small flowers to even name which would require chapters. The climate was invigorating and the scenery grand beyond description. They decided to settle there. His occupation had been that of gardener, and he quickly determined that there was more money to be made in supplying the various neighboring mining camps with vegetables than in gold digging, and the income would be more certain.

An old man who had acquired a large tract of land was pleased to give him as much as he would cultivate for a nominal share of the products. A rough little shanty, abutting a ridge, went with the claim and was to be their future home. It was sheltered beneath the umbrageous branches of one of the grand old liveoaks which dotted the plain and hillsides. Here the young couple proceeded to make their home with as much cheerfulness and unanimity as the birds which built their nests amidst the leaves of the perennial tree which covered them. Little by little they gathered around them the necessities of life and for home comfort. Women were comparatively scarce in that part, and many of the miners made a detour from the highway, nominally to ask for a drink of water, but in reality to see the little birdnest with the Eastern robin in it.

Quite a number of the miners succeeded in obtaining the privilege of taking their meals at Madam's table, for which they gladly paid fifty per cent, more than they could have lived for at the mill boarding house. During the summer the table was spread under the shelter of the shady live-oak branches, and by winter a fine commodious addition had been added to the house. The home-made bread, butter, and buttermilk were luxuries to be had nowhere else, and the refining influence of a good woman was appreciated by those who were permitted to enroll themselves as of "Kansas's" household. His cows, chickens, eggs and gardentruck had a market limited only by the supply he was able to produce. He found the soil to be excellent, and that everything planted produced abundantly. By hauling some of the pulverized tailings from the mill and spreading it on the adobe soil he supplied to that clay its corrective, and the yield of beets, onions, potatoes and vegetables was something marvelous. Some of his mangel wurtzel beets, planted for cow feed, weighed more than 150 lbs., and pumpkins grew so thickly that it was possible to walk over a field by stepping from one pumpkin to another.

There were some drawbacks, however, in the form of vermin. The air teemed with birds and insects and the ground had its myriads of gophers and squirrels, while from the plain came up the cotton-tail and the jack- rabbit to devour anything green. His strawberries, raspberries and other small fruit were preyed upon by the quail, catbirds and others, whilst his melons were sought after by badgers and other quadrupeds. Deer frequently came down at night and revelled in his corn and cereals.

Game was plentiful, and grizzly and brown bear threatened not only to decimate his pig-pen and calf-yard and honeystands, but to make life a burden. Indians straggling through the country frightened Madam, but were harmless. The table was rarely without venison, quail, pheasant or other game. The miners united with "Kansas" in pursuing the bears, mountain lions and fur-bearing ferae, and they became somewhat scarcer. ]\Iadam was sorry sometimes to see the song birds destroyed, but self protection is the first law of nature. In the early mornings, and at even, the air would be redolent with harmony from innumerable meadow larks and thrushes. Every bush in the chapparal on the hillsides had its colony of bird life.

The long table out of doors was frequently surrounded with men, who, judged by their rough appearance, were Ali Baba's forty thieves, while from their conversation, which was extremely edifying, their antecedents could be discerned. Naturally, from their occupation as miners, geology and the origin and formation of the globe was frequently the theme of debate and conjecture. Still there was no subject which was not discussed. Sometimes politics was introduced, to the disgust of Madam, as that subject led to wrangles from which neither edification nor profit was to be obtained. The men were from different parts of the East and naturally disagreed. Some were Southerners, one of them having brought two slaves with him who were regularly paying him their wages on a promise of emancipation on receipt of the cost of bringing them out and to their value as estimated at home.

"Kansas" had been one of th'^ radicals in his late place of residence, and it is well understood that in the State of Kansas there is to be found no one who does not take an active interest in everything pertaining to politics. The throes at the birth of that

The Master Planter.

State had threatened to dismember the Union, and the war which was then raging was considered one of the outcomes of it. Madam ahnost decided to discontinue keeping boarders, and eventually succeeded in reducing the number to a few who could control themselves in the heat of political debate. Their Chinese cook and laborers appeared to be thoroughly at home in this strange land, and when Madam undertook to give them lessons in English on Sunday afternoons she had a class which appreciated her kindness.

Chapter II

CALIFORNIA IN "XHE DAYS OF OLD, THE DAYS OF GOLD, THE DAYS OF FORTY-NINE."

CALIFORNIA, covering ten degrees of latitude, has surprised the people of the United States not only in its mineral resources, but in the fertility of its soil and the exuberance of thought of its inhabitants. Within those ten degrees of latitude, which by the way have proven in the Old World to have contained the cradle of the human race, and today hold the ruins of the world's earliest civilization, can be found a greater variety of the fauna and flora of the globe than in any other part.

The appreciation which the early settlers had of its marvelous climate, scenery and possibilities was indelibly stamped on it by the manner in which they named different localities. We find Paradise, Banner, Golden Gate, Silver City, Loveland, Woodland, Greenville, Bloody Gulch, Dead Horse, Grizzly Flat, Antioch, Acme, etc., etc., and the earlier Spanish settlers used up the whole calendar of Saints in naming the diflferent points and localities in this great State, and finally in despair at the paucity of the calendar dubbed a bay Todos Santos (all Saints). Rough men, made hardier still through their contact with the Plutonic rocks from which they obtained the auriferous metals, named many places in accord with some obstacle which attracted their attention, as Whiskeyville, Dead Man's Gulch, Eureka, Sacramento, etc.

Drawn thither by the prospect of acquiring speedy wealth from mining, people of all grades of intellectual culture and from every nation under the sun can be found. It was a common thing to find men who could speak many languages as well as men who were conversant with the classics. Although a little book of fifty-two leaves was the most common, the man who found his intellectual treat in the Bible, Shakespeare, Horace, Virgil, or some of the scientific works was freely met with. All appeared equally rough, and it was only on close inspection that the diamond was discovered. Rough in appearance, wild in action, and coming from different parts of the States and of the world, still men of similar thought and inclinations naturally drifted together, as the magnet will draw particles of iron from sand made up of grains of disintegrated rocks of every class.

Men of ever}^ profession and trade made up the army which crossed the plains in search for gold. Amongst them there naturally predominated those who had followed farming or manual labor. These were observant of the natural facility of the soil to produce crops, and also of the ready market for the products. The claims made by the Spaniards prevented much of the land from being acquired by these agriculturists, but little by little many little holdings were acquired and small orchards and gardens began to be cultivated.

Our hero's small ranch appeared like an oasis in a desert, for California in the dry season has a most desolate and burnt-up appearance. He had brought out a small stream from the canon (or canyon) above the premises, and all shrubbery and trees as well as the vegetables planted by him throve remarkably from the supplied water.

"Kansas" had excavated a cellar into the hillside, against which the house abutted, and had put down a drive well therein from which a deliciously pure water was obtained. Having procured an olla, one of those earthern vessels which the Spaniards had introduced into the country, and which the Indians made from clay and carried about for sale, and which on account of its porosity materially aided in cooling the water, he hung it to a limb of the live-oak. Thirsty travelers from all directions debouched from the main road to get a drink of this cooling water, and gradually the place became so central that when necessity for establishing a postoffice was felt, "Kansas" station was fixed upon as the most convenient for the miners in that whole region.

Our young couple prospered in every way, and not only made money from their own exertions, but, having grub-staked several prospectors, "Kansas" was fortunate in being able to sell out of several claims to good advantage. The healthiness of the climate was remarked, and they had enjoyed life as much as could be expected from the isolation Madam was compelled to endure. To make money alone was not the height of their ambition, and "Kansas" did not feel that it was justice to his wife to seclude her in a mountain camp. After four years residence in Grass Valley he determined to move to San Francisco. During their

Life in the Cane Fields of Haivaii.

residence in the mountains a boy and a girl had been born to them, which materially added to the mother's cares. He had acquired the quarter section, which he first rented from the old ranch owner, and now disposed of his holdings and the fine site for a good round sum. His intention was to either establish himself as a florist in San Francisco or engage as a scenic gardener with some of the wealthy nabobs of that metropolis.

Chapter III San Francisco, Like Rome, Sits Proudly Upon Her Hills.*

* ' T/' ANSAS" had made a study of the science of agriculture JX from the best works to be obtained, and was thoroughly familiar with the requisities of different soils in the matter of correctives, manures, and fertilizers. Being farmer-born he appreciated the lectures at the agricultural college he had attended, and during his practice of several years in Kansas and in California he had the opportunity of testing many of the teachings he had received and also of watching his own experiments. He knew that for the best results from planting it was as necessary that plants should have their proper plant food as that animals should have food that would digest. Also, that it was as requisite that this food should have reached its correct stage of fermentation to promote assimilation before being absorbed by the rootlets of the various plant-life.

Being somewhat of an artist and designer, he had drawn many plans of flower gardens adapted to the embellishment of homes of lovers of beauty in that line. Some of the colored designs which his portfolio contained were models of carpet gardening, labyrinthine walks bordered with vari-colored plants, which enclosed beds of brilliant flowers. Many happy hours he and his wife spent in designing parterres of beautiful flowers, grasses, border plants, etc. This was done as much for pastime as to have on hand a collection of designs or patterns as guides in selecting the most appropriate for dififerent situations. One of his ambitions was to obtain the supervisorship of some large grounds where, with a free hand, he might make a showing of what esthetic cul-

* She "sat," for a large part of the city of San Francisco, including practically all of the business portion, was destroyed by earthquake and fire following it on the 18th and 19th of April, 1906. A monetary loss of $400,000,000 was caused; and many human lives were lost, the exact number will never be known. Phcenix-like the city has risen from its ashes, and now, 1910, in about four and one-half years after its destruction, is better built than the old city was.

ture could effect. He did not overlook the immense market which the love of the masses for cut flowers and potted plants afforded, but kept that in the background, as it were, as a matter of secondary consideration.

Arrived in San Francisco he proceeded to endeavor to enlist some of the wealthy property owners in a scheme to ornament their homes, he to undertake the supervision of a number of such. He recognized the natural possibilities of the city, on account of its being built on many hills, for ornamental gardening. Although the soil of the sand dunes of the whole peninsula on which the city was built was poor, that was a matter which might easily be corrected ; and the lay of the land was much better for scenic effect than would be that of a level country. After meeting many of the property holders and showing them his plans he found, and was surprised at it, that so few cared for the matter, and all were satisfied with such slight improvements as their wives might make. A few gave him encouragement, and thought such a scheme of cooperating in maintaining a trained gardener as somewhat in advance of the present system, — but there were not enough to warrant his undertaking the work.

He abandoned the idea, and turned his attention to establishing a garden, one of the New Jersey style of florists' gardens, wherein he could raise flowers and potted plants for sale. On looking into this field, however, he found that it was pretty well worked and the city fairly supplied. Real estate and rents were high and he could not locate himself. Turning his attention to the humble yet lucrative work of raising vegetables for the market, he found this was very largely done by Italians on the outskirts of the city as well as by farmers on the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, great quantities coming in by steamers every morning. Without much capital he knew he could not compete in supplying the city markets, and he would be again burying his wife in the country.

He then turned his attention to other means of providing for his family, and in his peregrinations became quite familiar with the geography of the city and its environments. He tramped over Russ Hill, viewed the city from Telegraph Hill and Black Point, and made the tour of the Presidio and Fort Point. No observing person can survey San Francisco and its noble bay and fine waterways without arriving at the conclusion that it will be the theatre of an immense commercial future. Looking at it from an artistic standpoint, there is no part of the world that is more beautiful. From Telegraph Hill, as the observer turns on a pivot, the vista, on a clear day, is truly magnificent.

Apparently the atmosphere of central California is as pure as in any region on the face of the globe, for the eye can discern points at great distances. San Francisco has been endowed with many advantages, and if man will only make use of them it will assuredly be the center of commerce which will control the trade of the countries which border on the Pacific. The great freshwater ways flowing towards it will force on her the wealth of the immense agricultural provinces watered by them. The great numbers of men who were attracted to the State by the discovery of gold, were largely composed of men from the rural walks of life. These quickly discerned the great wealth the State had in her agricultural lands, and soon abandoned the search for the auriferous metals.

Many of the large Spanish grants were subdivided and the cattle driven ofif, and the lands turned into orchards, vineyards and farms. In early days most of the foodstuffs was brought around the Horn, or from Chili, or the islands of the Pacific. In a few years the Eastern immigrants had fQodstuffs to export, and agriculture began to vie with mining for the first place.

Grand as was the outlook for the future city, our hero tried in vain to place himself. In his travels or tramps along the waterfront he frequently saw vessels discharging cargoes of sugar and molasses, and tropical fruits, from the Sandwich Islands, and talked with the officers about the prospects there for a working man. Although he received but little encouragement from them, he concluded that a country which produced such large quantities of sugar might be made to yield a living, at least, to a couple who were willing to work.

He and his wife made as much of a study of the Islands as was possible from the few descriptive works on Hawaii to be found in the public libraries, and decided to go there and try their fortunes. It was a leap in the dark, but they had ample means to return if the country should not prove satisfactory.

Chapter IV

OFF FOR THE ISLANDS — SIGHT OF DIAMOND HEAD COMPENSATES FOR AN UNCOMFORTABLE VOYAGE.

TO save their little hoard they resolved to economize in every way, and to that end engaged passage in the steerage on a small bark which made regular trips to the port of Honolulu. They had never traveled on the sea before, and looked forward to the trip as to a picnic when one camps out for a season. They laid in a little stock of provisions and comforts, and took up their quarters on board the evening before the vessel was to sail. Early in the morning the vessel was towed to sea, and aftei* the bar was crossed they began to realize the immensity of the ocean. Their quarters were rude and uncomfortable ; it was cold and miserable, and, to add to the discomfort, all four were wretchedly seasick. The great strong man seemed to be the most affected, and could not help his family. Fortunately, a kindly lady in the cabin, who was an islander, a daughter of a missionary, and a good sailor, had noticed the children and devoted herself to their comfort.

For three days the sky was overcast, and alternate showers and squalls added to the wretchedness of the voyage. Many a time, during those three days, did the miserable couple wish they were back on terra firma. Then came the genial weather and sunshine, together with the trade winds, and they began to feel better and enjoy the trip, and help themselves. They began to really enjoy the voyage, and sitting on deck they learned very much of the islands from those who were returning residents. Not having had the opportunity in San Francisco of meeting islanders, their information was indeed very meager. From the missionary lady they heard much of the hardships of the early mission, and of the success in converting the natives to Christianity. Also of the ravages caused to the aboriginal population by the introduction of disease and rum by sailors. Much also of the character of the natives, and of their innate hospitable reception of aliens from any land.

From the stories told, a very good impression of the natives was obtained. "Kansas" became quite intimate with a man who had passed several years on the islands, and who described the cultivation of sugar and told of the opportunities for investments. It appeared that only a large capital would warrant any one in going into that industry, and from his remarks it appeared, also, there was no other that a white man could make a success at.

When fifteen days out, the island of Maui was sighted, the captain saying that the mountain thereon, Haleakala, was ten thousand feet high, and visible from a great distance. Sailing along they passed the island of Molokai, and had a fine view of its precipitous mountain range. Then the island of Oahu approached, and the beautiful valleys thereon opened up one by one with enchanting beauty. Rounding Diamond Head, the town of Honolulu, together with the forest of masts in its harbor, appeared. The great forest of cocoa palms which fringed the shore, together with the wealth of foliage of lesser umbrageous trees, created a pleasing impression of the tropical beauty of the place.

From the deck of the vessel the panorama presented was a most charming one. The difference between the gloomy, forbidding and sunburnt coast of California, which they had just left, and the verdure-covered peaks of the Island of Oahu, was like the awakening from a dismal nightmare. With an artistic and almost prophetic eye our hero could see a brilliant future for Honolulu. Diamond Head, which they had just rounded, stood out in bold relief, and no one asked why it had been called Diamond Head, as that was the natural name for it, its clear-cut, precipitous sides reminding one more of the facets of a cut diamond than of anything else. Far ahead of the ship could be seen another range of mountains similar in appearance to that at the rear of the city. At the margin of the neck of land which connected the two ranges lay a loch, called Pearl Harbor, upon whose smooth waters the sun glistened. Many valleys, whose sides were covered with verdure of different shades, opened towards the sea, giving promise of enchanting drives and points to lure the sightseer.

Although our hero and his family had forgotten the hardships and misery of the first part of the trip, and were enjoying to the full the balance of the voyage, they, with the cabin passengers, were glad to get ashore.

"Kansas" was a brave man, and was not intimidated by what

Life in the Cane Fields of Hcnvaii. 13

he had learned of the unHkeHhood of succeeding on the islands. Although the impression he obtained was that there was a great distinction made between rich and poor, and that the prospects for a poor man were not bright, he did not apply it to himself. He had never felt poverty, and had always been able to make provision for his wife and family. In Kansas and California, they were not considered poor, the masses being of their own class. He had been well educated in the public schools, had been a year at an agricultural college and had taught school two winters before he had met the young woman who had agreed to take him for better or for worse, and they had gone west. Now they were to live in a country where there was a marked distinction between those who had the possession of money, accidentally or otherwise, and those who had none. This they could not realize. It did not disturb them very much, as they had within themselves all that was necessary to make life happy, and they merely sought the opportunity to make a living by their own exertions. Also, they were in a foreign country, which they soon found out, as their baggage was thoroughly examined by customs ofificers, and "Kansas" was compelled to pay two dollars for a permit to land. There were no hotels nor hotel runners, and they hired a push-cart to carry their effects to a lodging house in a part of the city where rents were low.

Everything seemed strange to them, and in some respects the city appeared like a frontier town. Half naked kanakas carrying sticks over their shoulders, with bundles of dried grass or calabashes filled with poi (the staple of life of the Hawaiian), shocked the woman. Numbers of Chinese thronged the streets, and carried on innumerable dirty looking restaurants and small shops. The narrow, crooked and winding streets, lined with houses of all descriptions, from those built of rough coral slabs, to frame structures of all imaginable styles of architecture, and with overhanging verandas, gave one an impression of a place which had grown up, and not been laid out, as the majority of American towns and cities have been. Many rude sailors thronged the streets, forming the crews of the innumerable whaleships in the harbor. Their actions and language, and the heedlessness with which they rode through the city on horses, alarmed our newcomers. The food at the restaurants was good, but they soon found it inconvenient to take the children out three times a day along the narrow, thronged and ill-kept sidewalks. Finally they obtained lodgings at the Sailors' Home, a fine building which was kept by a delightful old American lady, who seemed like a mother to all.

Chapter V

HONOLULU AS IT WAS IN DAYS OF YORE — GRASS HOUSES AND MANY THINGS THAT WOULD BE CURIOS NOW.

AS they gpt opportunities to see more of the city, they found that there were many homes of refinement situated on the main avenue leading up Nuuanu Valley. These were set well back from the street, and were surrounded by a wealth of tropical foliage, and gave the tourist an impression of home and comfort. They climbed Punchbowl, a hill 500 feet high in the rear of the city, from where they obtained a magnificent view of the city, its harbor, and the whole surrounding country. The spires of churches loomed up through the foliage which covered everything.

The prospect was entrancing. Grass houses of the natives looked like last year's haystacks, but were by no means numerous, they having been superseded largely with frame structures. Cocoa palms here and there had prominence over the lower forms of shrubbery, and bore the appearance of frayed-out umbrellas. A glamour seemed to have possessed our travelers, for they were charmed with everything in view. They were reminded of the saymg of one of the passengers, "that any one who lives on the islands for a time will assuredly come back." The balmy air, the evenness of the temperature, the geniality of expression on the faces of all the conglomerate inhabitants, and the pleasant surroundings must be chargeable with this restful, homelike impression.

The harbor was small, but seemed adequate for the business of the port. Business appeared to be brisk, and a spirit of contentment possessed all with whom they came in contact. The natives, especially the women, were decked out in the most brilliant colors of silks and prints. Both men and women wore leis (wreaths) of flowers or ferns around their hats, the latter being principally home-made from cocoa or other palm leaves. It was quite common to see bare feet peeping from under silk gowns, probably from the comfort of going barefooted. Carriages were not very numerous, although drays for carrying merchandise were quite common. It was a frequent sight to see natives seated on push carts, together with their household effects, being moved from one part of the city to another. Gangs of prisoners working on the street, in parti-colored garments, under the charge of a turnkey, were continually on the move. It was also the rule to hire out prisoners to private individuals, as gardeners or chore-men. Amongst the prisoners a few white men were seen, but they were principally natives or Chinese. Evidently, there was no penitentiary where prisoners could be kept employed within walls at the manufacture of merchantable wares, as in cities on the mainland. Uniformed native police and soldiers appeared to be quite numerous.