The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1857-08-13
HONOLULU.

and not particle of earthly matter could be seen
yet from this mass was growing very luxuriantly
ferns, grasses, bushes. then becoming small trees
from ten to twenty-five feet in height. How
many years this mae. had been acted upon by
strong winds and rains it is difficult to say.
The lava was scarf banged in color or form,
and to all appearance Che vegetables then growing
were the first growth The writer has been in
formed that the place is now covered (2S years)
with a dense young forest. On the south sice of
the same mountain, in Kahikinui, there seems to
have been food Of lava, ct some age long ago,
which is nearly bare of vegetation, and the only
change apparent on the lava is slight decay, or
the oxydization from the atmosphs-n This re-
gien has but little rain and the lids are very
oblique. - 80
.sEs4s esano %ss IF asss saat ss. ssT e aEs psa
species called by Hawaiians pahoehoe--s smooth,
fat, and when fresh, shining--were lying from
one to FIVE acres together, where not weed,
bush, or tuft of grass could be seen. In 1850,
passing the region. he noticed that these
same tracts were nearly covered with growth of
young ferns. grass ard bushes, averaging from
two to four feet in height. This region is acted
upon by the trade winds and rains. and this
growth has been produced in the space of twenty
years.
There are several things that tend to modify
the character of soils, whatever the composition
may be.
Vegetation itself has an influence. IF a tree
fall to the earth, it will eventually decay and it's
particles will be mixed with the existing SOIL and
will so far change the properties of that soil. So
of grasses, weeds, bushes, especially when they
grow in abundance, and the ope- -.tion of grow
ing, dying and decaying has long been continued.
IF such locations found at the foot of noun
tains, on the banks of streams, the soils they
are called allutial soils, or in common language,
loan. OF such is the soil of Lahaina, Maui, and
Holokahua, east of Honolulu They are gener-
ally rich SO far as the composition Of the soil is
concerned, and capable of producing a great
variety of vegetables. Vegetation, therefore, has
the reciprocal action of cause and effect -
Rain also modifes the soil, not only by furnish
ing moisture for the plants, but its effect upon the
different constituent particles Of soil. The chem
ical properties of rain act differently upon the
soil from water poured on. Add to this the fre-
quent washing of the leaves Of vegetables, and it
will soon appear that two pieces of land of the
same soils, one watered altogether by irrigation
and the other by showers, will soon have their
soils unlike.
The trade winds in some locations have mod
flying effect soils besides their connection with
rain. Where they strong as to move
| sands, the sands are more Or less moved by them
and thrown into banks or hillocks and are so
fuctuating that but little vegetation grows, as
between East and West Maui, and ON the eastern
side of Kamaalea Bay. Winds also effect plants
and even trees, especially fruit trees, by whipping
their leaves and curvating their trunks, and pre-
venting the ordinary operations of nature and
thwarting wnat wouid otnerwise DC the regular
proauctions OF tne sou
this introduces another subject which does not bs
long here
Cultivation itself has an influence upon soils,
a.s5 - so;,s baon,s anu ,a ,d frop
a. s."'S ~ - -''.e noio pr
,,,,,d d:,;da.ass.r,s -, ~ ;s,o~as - a.,
.,;IHi - ,... -. o.. 70 s,,o
st;, .,,e s,raa. ~ Ill a ~, dc IT.
b,,ndsI3 ,,,ou.,,r hos.a,ar -
aable than its onnos;te Few lo.at;ons are sHeb
that they c.,nnat be easis dra,s,s ;f tbers Is
rai .ss t9o c etr m bvt r dr1 s LITE th T.
more d;a;c,,Itv Tbo,sands and tfonsar,ds Of
acres are snund q, the islands r,rtI~ "r ,Tho,I,
barren for want Of suf6cient moisture. and even
mary of the tracts suh;actad ~ c,lt;va t;o, ara
defc;ent fnr natb;n,, - v,sr ,,,,r,,,, thar. c.
crors to s,,fiar from arouabt Tic ,ar+;aI re,ne.
dies are two one is mixsI,g aluminous or clavev
earths with tho sandy or si7nv;aI sols Tho cja -
ar.. ratent;va IF ,ro;stnr and will ehsorh II fro
the atmosnbare ard hence viii basr rsa tor do.
cree of drought. The other is deem e5slt;vat
STodor ox,,oT;n,a,,ts Io,,a tod thot Co.
nave sna' ioa
rs,ody f,- drp,,ce rheF All =, s,,cL css.s 70
ce;ves and veta more o;stur than T. otber,vse
would and ;,,,,s-+s T. in t;,ra ,,f ,sed tbs
re,nedy an,i;es - aIIny;a or sem;.allny;al coils
All L;n6sr raf e.rtb bowevor w;II hot hear Jeen
d;ao;nr If the d;ga;ns - rlou;nr br;nos mn
the1 ..d ,.tl. e.,,t. ;,,;,,fr ~ ~
one a'aso ar ;e reu salIn soh snss ; ~ ieu
nntii Il has lain . wear on. 40 exnosed tn the
ID n,.J -. &c .l.o ..,s1sxlsraf 81. rI
"inos 8no lains ol slle a1moSpnsc. Lass Hrp-
a - az r. da,'t &c fIs,',
g @ ~ s.io ", -
.w9 ..V = inches. ~ one part ne no