The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1863-02-19

CochineaI and Other Matters.

Mr.. EDITOR In your last issue Of the CONNER
ciaE -4freTtissr, I have noticed the suggestions OF
correspondent tor the introduction Of the Cochiueal
insect Although your correspondent very kindly
addresses those suggestions TO your very humble
servant, they would have been more properly and
more effectively addressed TO DR.. Hillebrand, the cor
responding secretary Of the Society, TO whom the
country Is already SO largely indebted. not only for
the introduction Of bees. birds, and other animals
but for almost everything new. ornamental and use
ful. in the vegetable kingdom that has Of late years
been added to our isl .nds. II your correspondent
will peruse the annual reports Of the Society for 1858,
he will learn that the Doctor exerted himself not only
for the introduction of the kangaroo, Llama, Al
paca, etc, but neither had lost sight Of the Cochin
cal insect rs a desirable acquisition to our resources,
and had made many fruitless applications for it in
Mexico and Central America. and that a number of
those valuable insects were in fact received from the
Kew gardens. but unfortunately had died on the
voyage. 1t must always be a very difficult process
to import those insects alive from such far off coun-
tries, and I doubt ve.y much that any one on these
islands would be able to succeed after the Cores
ponding Secretary, in his polyglot Correspondence
with the Swans of other countries, has failed. |
have resided u sufficient time in j Cochineal district,
durango. Mexico j to be well aware that the insects,
10 thrive, will require a location exempt from rains
and storms. This garden would, therefore, be an
unsuitable place for experiments. Waikiki Plains,
or the rocky wilderness towards Palama, would be
better suited. | do not know if there are many kim
dred localities on these islands.
Although the suggestions Of your correspondent
are Il proof that the interest in developing new re-
sources has not altogether died out, your CORES
pendent seems 10 have overlooked a principal feature
in having suggestions acted upOn-the means. The
time for importing, experimenting in and adding
new resources to those already developed, Is past, or
rather abrOgated by the action Of the Government.
Experiments, necessarily conducted on u small scale,
are Always more or less expensive. In former years,
when labor, implements and seeds were furnished
me, and my salary enabled me to give my whole
tlG'e ami attention 10 the object Of the garden, l could
make experiments in mldter, wOad, isatiS, etc.
in nearly 400 varieties Of grasses, in hemp, fax and
cotton and rice, etc, etc. but since, through means
OF the Royal Hawaiian Agricultural Society, honey
has become plenty, Strawberries are a drug, new
fruit trees have been introduced, valuable grasses
distributed. thousands of trees and shrubs ornament
cemeteries. private and public places, birds sing
around the town, and rice has become a success,
the Government in its wisdom, fearing The introduce
tion of too much good, has stopped the small appro-
priation of $3.50 per annum The only available
means of the Society are but S144, and rs the net
proceeds from the land are but about 500 in addi-
ton. your correspondent will readily perceive that
importing and experimenting is out Of question, even
if | had the wish to do so. If | still try to uphold
the garden, and TO save 1t from returning 10 Its =.
original state of wilderness, | do SO partly from a
feeling of regret to see so much labor and care thrown
away-partly from tenacity of purpose, aud partly
from hope. that years hence, when expresses, pines.
eucalyptus, etc, etc, have become of fair size and
dimensions. many of the inhabitants of Honolulu will
be glad 10 have had their only public garden pre-
served in spite Of the Government that would deprive
them of it. Should l be enabled to uphold the gar
den. il is mainly due TO Mr.. Chas. r. Bishop, Hon
L.. Haalelea and Mr.. Pease, from whom | have a few
rice patches for cultivation.
And now, since your correspondent must feel con
WINGED of my inability to oct on his suggestions, |
would respectfully offer in return a few suggestions
10 your correspondent, " friend of the native race
He IS very likely aware of the existing panic in the
paper market. There can be, methinks, but little
doubt of the adnptabilty of our native tapa for
manufacturing paper. The Wndke, the plant from
which the tapa is made, grows sponta neously and in
abundance in our mountain regions. Should tapa be
n fit article for paper manufacture, ii would be I'M
necessary to go through the tedious process OF making
the tapa, and the pulp itself might perhaps be eX-
ported in Jumps weighing from one to two pounds;
| would therefore make the suggestion to your cor
respondent to forward by the first opportunity a sam
pie Of tapa or 4 lump of dried pulp TO New York, for
trial and examination. Should success crown his
efforts, a new and remunerative resource would be
opened, and the manufacture of the pulp would be so
much more a great boon to these islands, n 1t would
give remunerative employment TO hundreds OF now
unemployed native females. HOLsTEIS.