The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-07-15
Arbor Day.

There is q very pretty custom in SOM of the
Western States of America, where on a certain
day, generally in April, all the people, men,
women and children, engage III planting trees, on
their farms, or around their little homestead cot
tages. or along the public highways. This Gus
tom originated in the prarIe State of Nebraska
whose treeless plains had a most cherries and
unInvitug look to pioneers and strangers but
under the stimulus OF a liberal gift of one thou
sand dollars annually awarded by the State to the
person, firm or family planting the largest num-
Der of the trees, these pampa pl6As have become
dotted with thousands of beautiful groves, of
which her citizens are justly proud. Many an
anecdote is told, illustrating the enthusiasm
which prevails among all classes engaged In this
service and many a noble oak, walnut or pine
bears the name of a child, maiden or lover, in
whose honor or memory it was planted, nursed
and guarded, till its stately branches have made
1t a mark for miles around.
This custom has been extending to other sec
tons of the Union from year to year, till now it
is observed in over Il dozen States. Last April.
Governor Foster of Ohio designated the 9th OF
that month as a day for tree planting in that
State. and he urges all citizens to assist in en-
couragIng its observance. He says, in his pro-
clamation, that 10 this way alone can the loss
which the forests annually sustain in supplying
timber and fuel for the necessities of the people
be replaced. The records of the last census show
that in twenty-five or thirty years, the forests Of
United States will be destroyed, unless efforts are
made to replace them by tree planting.
Here, in our little kingdom of Hawaii the same
process of forest extincti N is going on quite az
rapidly as in America, caused in part by the
demand for uel-bu more by cattle and other
animals destroying the young trees. Within
the memory OF white men the slopes of Hale
akala, ON Maui, aud of the great mountains on
Hawaii were den,eIy wooded to within a mile or
less from the shore. Now portions of them are
denuded from the sea to the summit. 1t IL said
that the great wall in Kona, Hawaii, built by
Kamehameha |. to keep in the cattle given 10
him by Vancouver, ran close along the edge Of
the dense woods. Now the forest line is miles
above it. The same is the case on all the islands,
while on the kOhlla mountains scarcely any trees
now remain.
Why should not Hawaii establish her ARBoR
DAY-her La KaEu Laau-proclaimed by the
King, to be a day devoted to this object through
out the group? We have had two notable ex-
ampies of ree-planung set by royalty, winch may
appropriately be recalled at thi, time. When
tie young kiug Kauikeouli met with his chiefs
to consult about building the kawaiahaO Church
in 1886, the chiefess Kinau, mother of Kings
Kamehameha III and ", planted a tree on the
land set apart for tbe church, and others followed
her examnle To be sfTe the one planted by her
was only a common han Tree but 1T was planted
watered, and nursed by quseniy hanGs-andt TO
this day is known as " klnau : Tree hgaih'
soon after His present Majesty\h lnS haiakIua
assembled the throne. in 1874, We Wen IeuhenoeE
seeing him climbing up Punchoowl IlIN IL 10y by
an afternoon, or early morning acooHP@NN'
his soldier-boys, carrying boxes VI IL ~
rOba, inga, samang, and other trees ~ a. - pro.
them in the summit bowl OF this noteu