The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1873-09-20
THE PACIFIC
Commercial AObertiser
SATURDAY. SEPT. %
THE ALGAROBA TREE.

been already enabled % submit some suggestions
which | deemed worthy of public attention in re-
lation t. the projected revival Of the old Nuuanu
forest, (Which in an evil hour and under PERM
ciou- c~0unsels was sacrificed 10 lucre.) with a
view - the restoration of the former liberal sun
ply Of water from the rainfall which il so mate
rally assisted to augment project by the bye
which | observe the State Of New York fully ap-
preciates, and to secure which huge tract Of
the Adirondack forest, lying between the st.
Lawrence and Hudson Rivers. i Just now about
to be segregated and enclosed.
! again ask your further indulgence in allow
ing me 70 discuss on a broader and more cOmpre-
hensive basis the subject of arboriculture, or tree
planting with the special object of encouraging
and ] hope Of eventually inducing the conversion
Of those large tracts of waste land which 50 hor-
ribly disfgure and disgrace the Kona side Of
Oahu. even up to the very gates Of the metro
polls itself, 10 useful and ornamental purposes.
The subject of the culture Of all manner of
vegetable productions has been my life's hobby,
TO which [ have devoted more than ordinary at
tention both theoretically and practically. and
therefore | presume 10 offer the results of n long
experience To those land owners who have not
turned their attention to it as ! have done.
The most conspicuous and remarkable instance
Of the culpable apathy and neglect of this COM
munity in this respect is the plain of Kulaoka-
hua, which comprises a large area of deep, friable
and fertile land, extending from Honolulu 10 the
Punahou road, and which requires only a very
moderate amount of judiciously directed capital
TO redeem it from it's present repulsiye and I'M
slightly state of barrenness, and TO convert it into
ornamental groves of evergreen trees at once i'm
parting to the landscape an accession of pictur-
esque beauty-increasing the humidity of the at
mOsphere and returning an ample recompense for
all that may be expended on its redemption.
This revolution is rendered practicable by means
Of the Algaroba tree, one of whose many valu-
able qualities is its entire independence of all
surface moisture, during the dry season, and
which ensures Its vigorous growth throughout
the longest continuance of parching weather.
fact which is demonstrated by the fine healthy
specimens of it of different ages which now
adOrn the makai portion Of the plain, which
never had any attention or care, and which are
all that have survived of the large quantities of
seed thrown broadcast by myself and others on
the hard and beaten surface-large numbers of
which terminated and would probably to-day
have covered Il greater part Of the surface had
they been protected against the ruthless raids of
the herds of cattle and horses which prowl over
that district. and pluck up and devour the young
and tender Seeding in its early infancy. Seeing
how we'll these trees have thriven under such dis
engagements it is easy to conjecture what would
be their size to-day if they had been planted in
properly prepared soil and protected by 4 suffi-
cient fence.
Considerable portions Of this plain were sold
by auction some twenty years ago to some of our
best citizens and others in separate lots, but who
have rather unaccountably allowed them to lie in
a state of nature without any attempt to improve
or cultivate them until the extension of the pipe
water which has induced II very few of the pres
ent owners to enclose and plant them. My pres
ent purpose, however, is to induce the owners of
more remote, and not likely to be very soon
reached by the water pipe extension, (albeit the
superintendent of that department certainly
a decided proclivity for carrying out
his pipes to some remarkably unlikely places) to
no time in commencing operations prepara-
tory to their planting them with the tree which
l advocate and which will undoubtedly flourish
there without any troublesome irrigation, if the
rules applicable to planting them which | shall
hereafter suggest be carefully attended to.
In the first place the perfect culture and pull
verization of all hard and obdurate soils by deep
.ploughing and careful narrowing is a condition
precedent TO all successful planting on such soils
and there can be no doubt that the amount ex-
pended on it would be speedily and abundantly
repaid by the increased rapidity of growth and
of the trees which will in a wonderfully
time yield a remuneratiye crop of excellent
Moreover it is the nature and habit of
the Algaroba tree, to throw out large numbers of
lateral roots, which penetrate the surface soil in
search of nourishment, and are the main feeders
Of the tree,-and without whose aid it must he
comparatively meagre and stunted. | observe
the owners of some large lots beyond Puma
hou (Which are composed of remarkably obdu-
and sterile soil. on which nature can produce
better than a miserable dwarfsh weed,
1t all seasons, and which is precisely the charae-
ter of soil which most requires culture) have be-
gun on a very meagre and p~icayune scale to plant
Algaroba trees in little holes dug in the hard and
surface, into which it must be all but i'm
for the lateral roots to penetrate beyond
the area of each hole. This wretched style of
on such soil is vastly out of proportion
with the grand scale on which some of them have
been fenced.
On soils of a light and iriable description
which do not bake or become indurated so as to
mar the progress of those lateral feeders. the ex-
pense of the culture | advocate may perhaps be
dispensed with, and the seeding may be placed
n a large hole say two feet wide and of the same
iepth in which the earth shall be carefully pull
gerized.
In the next place it is preferable to cultivate
~ planting young seedlings raised IN boxes, which
ought to he planted out as soon as the soil shall
nave become moist from the first natural rains in
autumn, when they will rapidly send Town their
ap roots and throw out their lateral feeders so