The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1856-08-07

never 10 be worked again for what little there is left of it, most
~ crippled shoots of old trunks, bids fair with its slo~ growth
to be stffed and crowded out by meaner,m more precocious neigh
appreciated when cur neigibors Of California and Oregon have
made sufficient progress in industry. to be able to dispense with
Its many fine qualities for cabinet work make il equal to mahog-
sI tms n trees witbout pronortioninr the increase to the o
sumption, this source Of wealth is likewise doomed to extinction,
Ia fate which has already befaIien the splendid tarnani, Cato-
phyAtm inophyHpna, of which only a few relics exist on Molo-
kai. Has any one o. you met with a 1resh plantarlon OF cocoa
cert and productive bread-fruit tree is 50 little cultivated? Is
time liberal shade aud a most nutritious pleasant fruit In
the valley Of Isanali grows a tree called by the natives make,
with a spicy aroma similar to cardamoln. but sharper to the
and to all appearance is indigenous. Unless taken care of tmay
be lest sooner or later, whereas, ii propagated and protected, it
spices, and a valuable article of export.
1t cannot be denied, that in many places the domain Of forest
has been seriously encrOaesed upon by man, and more by catle.
In the February number of the Sandwich Island Magazine, an
the whole plateau Of waimea in Hawaii, over 20 miles in length
and 5 in breadth, has sheen spoiiated entirely OF its original forest,
Es Sre 81 ~ = III, mn5s - $40 MARI the eject: for the last
nine months, as [ am informed, they have not had raia shower.
The extended plain, which, after having been Invested ofits trees,
and herds, is parched and cracked not a blade of fresh grass is
to be seen clouds Of dust have taken the place Of raia-ciouds,
and the cattle to escape starving, have o repair to NE sNe val
leys of the Kohala range and Mauna kea- Do not objees to ne,
- ol ! ma' a y az f2 - re eH ~ I LII - The j, Tibiea - reta;oai a
its natiye foliage, has been visited by similar drought. 1t is
truction was carried on. 1t is true, raw mists and chilly winds
are not Sc frequsnt there now, and the squaly munuku has
ceased to blow, but perhaps the latter might have been averted,
not by killing the vegetation on the high plains of Wainea, but
by starting a new one on the slope of kawaihae, which would
have reduced the excess of heat peculiar to that desolate lava
region. Besides it may be necessary to remark here, that
saluhriousness and productiveness of a country do seldom go
the average per centage of deaths by consumption, we find that
the hcaltliest spots until now ascertained are neither Rome, nor
Madeira, nor the Provence, bat the dry rainless coast Of Malaga
in Spain, those parts of Egypt aboye the Delta, nearest the des-
Jourdain, only one death in seventy-fvei is due to consumption,
Willie in Paris and london the proportion stands one to five.
During my short stay in Australia, had ample opportunity
to notice the disastrous effects of cattle and sheep on vegetation.
appeared on the rich plain between the sea and coast range.
Even the formerly impenetrable thicket Of the scrub along tia
ton Of the plane of its foliage. whose tough. Ieatherv Qualities.
almost unfit it for a copious perspiration. lacks q rain fer eight
months in succession, will in distant future have TO regret that
its early coonists began their work of civiIisatiaa with foes.
and herds. OF al the destroying influences man brings to bear
Upon mature, cattle is the the wor ti In what , are 1I now the great
Humboldt found q remarkable succession of lakes from whose
graphical conformation Of the country. he Concluded that thew
formerly had been united in one sheet of water, which covered
the vast plain. The great traveller does not refer to great ply
steal revolutions which might have opened an outlet TO these
the neighboring steppe of Bareba, he is led to believe that the
presence of man has to account for it. A retrospect in history
however shows US, that this is part of the very couusry where,
lived the Scythians, from where issued tbs Huns, Mongols and
TURKS, all nonadizing tribes, which to our knowledge had only
flint acquaintance with agriculture. Herds of cattle and horses
were their sustenance, formed their wealth: Isl not legitimate,
physiognomy of this c0a4try!
Let US take a warning from such ominous examples. Tn.
small area of our islands is too valuable to he devoted to cattle
rearing. Allow them to multiply for all the legitimate purposes
What asI GOES 9 b9yond is 30 Of evil. IF If s Wa Pssr i them en- 1 for she sake q Of !
their hides and tailow, | imagine the expense of producing these
even questionable, if by fostering an export of cured II dried
only, but the existence Of Wild cattle and goats ought to be set "a a
stop to. Where the interests OF agriculture and cattle rearing
conflict, the former should be protected in preference.
L have not touched yet upon the other evil, arising from the
destruction of forests-scarcity OF fuel. A few remarks will sui
flee. In our community this evil is already felt severely at the
present time the high price of fuel attests it. What we cor
sumo in Honolulu, has for the greatest part to be brought from
other islands. Aud yet We can never fatter ourselves with the
hope, to find relief in that great resource, which Unexpectedly
came, TO help other countries over their impending difficulty
FOSSIL coal. For, adept either of the two propounded theories
same result. If You adhere to the hypothesis of a late rising
above the surface of the sea, this must have taken place in the
coral rhinestone, with detritus AMI congomerafons of the basal
III rock cover the lower surface Of our basaltic hills no rocks of
the transition or secondary groups which furnish the bed for fos-
81 eoai are seen any"heFe- Do you attribute an cider age to a
IiaSaiian, or If you will stretch your imagination q little farther,
a Pacific Continent, whica by gradual subsistence has left tho
ms plalns and estuarles, where ancient vegetation either grew
or became accumulated by the rush of waters, must lay now
cur only resource VIII haze to be found in our forests. A little
further reflection on our part must stil more forcibly impress
Us with the Importance of the subject. The number of species OF
trees, as are wei adapted, to produce heat for economical pur-
that of bush and shrub most of the taller trees are of SO Ight a
texture as to be uaht for4heating. How does it stand with the
Iei trees, mostly in use? The ohia lehua (aetrosideros po{y-
ntorpha) has probably in former times been the most prevailing
tree over the grocp, 1t is not now. l have seen only few scat
tered rudIments OF it, where there are uninistakahle Indications
that formerly 1t covered extensive dimensions of ground. But
Increase of population and the concomitans necessary establish
nsn5 OF Workshops and factories l do not wish to be under
our fair islands on the contrary. [ most heartily deprecate such
there are certain branches of industry, a well organized commu-
h ht nj calnot dispense with. Ihess are either saeh, as enter
OF undue bulk be shipped without raising the price quite beyond
proportion, or such, as can be produced with small labor on the
spot, where the raw material is raised. To confne myself only
TO one example We build our houses of the very material, least
suited toa warm climate, of wood. Not only does it oblige us to
I'VE, or rather TO swelter III an atmosphere, often heated almost
to the temperature of blood, but it exposes our fast filling villa
gs before long to a great and Inevitable calamity. Coral rocE,
the only other material ON hand; commands on account of the
great labor its cutting requires, such a price, as to be only in the
reach OF very few. Besides, it could only be used to advantages
for larger buildings. The only good building material, which
ohght . De general amongst Us, and at the reach of every one,
is bricks Transport from the L. = raises their prfcusto six or
eight times their original value. Good raw material is in alum
dance amongst us the anuyiuml on the banks of the river ana
the deposit IN old taro patches, chiefly consists of a very stiff
cay, tie common product of disintegration of basaltic rocks. On
the banks of rivers it may be obtained almost pure. unmixed.
On inquiry why no bricks we're made here, I have been rsd that
attempts had been made, but the high price of fuel Obliged the
uheertaker, to abandon the enterprise as Improbable. Part OF
tNe preceding remarks viii also refer to pottery. With regard
to this branch of industry it may be of ue to record. that in
1eneTffe, in order to obtain the clay, of which those valuable.
na h!g walls at the foot OF the mountains, to collect the water,
Wlich deposits this precious detrius of their trachvtic rocks.
Before l conclude, L cannot but refer briefly to the shelter,
well established forests will afford against high wind nv com.