The crop came on the market in such small quantities that it was of no value to refiners, as they could not depend upon definite deliveries. It was therefore put up in special containers, known as “island kegs,” and sold directly to the wholesale grocers on the Pacific coast. Some plantations turned out sugars that found especial favor with the trade, and these grades brought as high as 14 cents per pound. Under the benefits of reciprocity the crop increased by leaps and bounds and in a short time the planters ceased selling these raw grocery sugars and turned their attention to supplying the wants of refiners. The “island keg” became a thing of the past and the small sailing vessels which had heretofore carried all the island products to the mainland gave way to steamers. At the present day there is only one sailing vessel plying regularly between San Francisco and the islands, and she usually loads at a port where the large freighting steamers do not care to venture. Annexation to the United States in 1898 was the next important step in the development of Hawaii. Its immediate effect was to create a feeling of security and confidence in every direction, for while the reciprocity treaty had produced excellent results, the danger of its being made the subject of attack in Congress was ever present. The hoisting of the American flag in the islands permanently dispelled any anxiety on that score. Of all the early pioneers whose steadfastness and courage kept the sugar industry alive through so many vicissitudes, but few survive. Their descendants have succeeded to their possessions and responsibilities, and today in Hawaii cane cultivation and sugar manufacture have attained a higher degree of development than has been reached by any other country in the world. Crude methods and appliances have long since disappeared. Scientific principles govern the treatment of the land and the selection and care of the cane. The irrigation works are marvels of engineering skill. The mills are modern steel-frame structures, with concrete floors and equipped with machinery of the most improved type. And the end is not yet. The minds of many highly trained men are constantly at work upon the various problems presented by the industry, and what the fruit of their effort will be, who shall say? Production of Hawaii since 1837 in tons of 2240 pounds: