The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-11-06

raised as near as possible to the
place where they are to be perma-
nently planted. Now as to the
kinds that ought to be cultivated,
the products of which have the
world for a market. The first place
should be given to cinchona, and
nearly of equal Importance are ficus
elastica and Siphonia Brazilensis,
the former for its medicinal bark
and the two latter for their gum
(India-rubber). The demand for
the products never fails, and the
United States offer market for all
that can be produced here. From
your report of the proceedings of
the Royal Hawaiian Agricultural
Society of October 10th last, 1 find
that the Government employee COM
planned that the public would not
accept the plants which he had to give
away, and therein the public shows
good sense they prefer to buy plants
which they do want, to accepting
lot of trash that they have no use
for, even as gift. To illustrate,
one lady recently told me that her
husband had bought plants to the
amount of thirty dollars from the
Government nursery and the whole
lot died off; another lady bought to
the extent of 1925, which also died,
and only few days ago q gentle
man from Hamakua told me that he
had accepted gift of plants from
the Government, but none of them
grew, so they became an expensive
present to pay the freight on, to
say nothing of the trouble of plant
ing. In this manner the Govern
ment discourages tree planting, by
supplying a lot of sickly rubbish
| that is sure not to thrive. Another
complaint the Government employee
had to make was that the planters
| refused to send young men to him
to be taught forestry! 1t is absurd
for person who worked, from the
age of twelve years up to the time
he was imported direct to this coun-
try, in crockery shop, and who,
in all his life, never received one
days instruction in raising trees, to
assume to teach others; it would be
a pure case of the blind leading the
blind. From the above facts it will
evidently be q waste of public
money on the part of the Govern
ment to continue to purchase boxes
and pay labor to grow plants which
they have no use for themselves, and
which they cannot even give away
but if they will concentrate their
labor at Makiki under some person
competent to create forest of the
trees indicated above, there would
be good prospect of raising re-
venue therefrom in the near future
Of course, there are many Other
valuable trees that will occur to you
but whilst all the conditions favor
the growing of the kinds named
and which have an exhaustless
market in America and Europe,
hold that the Government cennot il
justice to local private enterprise
meddle with the growth of sucl
plants or trees as have only a loca
market. But under the presen
mode of proceeding the Government
will never succeed in making a valu
{ able forest, because they do no
know how to raise the trees, but
have reason to think they would b
glad to be rid of the present imbe
cile system if they could get an.
| practical man to accept the directio
Y of the forest planting. At least,
know that myself have been aske'
:. by one high in authority if l woul
take charge of the matter, but a
they had no means to pay for th
C service required, l had to decline
f as anyone else would have done
who was capable of creating forest
, to accept the amount of labor nece'
sary to make it success, and whic
u received no remuneration. AS it il
II the laborers are left to their ow
j, sweet will, except for few minutes
o perhaps, on Sunday.
:, JOHN KIDwELL.
II Honolulu, Nov. 9th, 1885.