The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-05-11

lished in the Honolulu papers, and
seeds nave been promised as soon as
they ripen. Much valuable assistance
can be rendered by the public in this
direction, as there are many economic
trees growing in these islands, seeti-
OF which can only be procured from
foreign countries at great expense.
AT the government nursery on King
street the two Chinese laborers have
been replace by three japanese. The
additional help of one more man is re-
quired by the extra labor involved in
nahuiacturli the compounds for
destroying blight, and in gathering
seeds from the trees of those persons
who have kindly given permission to
let the gardener collect seeds from
their trees. Ii is very desirable that
the list of persons who will give such
permission be increased, as many
seeds can be gathered in this manner
which would otherwise be lost. The
number of plants that will be avail
able in the future for free distribution
will depend entirely upon the amount
OF seeds that can be procured. Seeds
from economic trees and plants are the
most desirable, as there is great lack
OF such trees ami plants on these ISL
ands.
Since the last meeting of the bu-
| reau, application has been made
through the foreign Office to the state
department of the United States for
the bureau to be placed upon the list
OF those who receive the consular re-
| ports OF that department. Application
has also been made by your commits
| sioner to the Hon. j. NJ. Rusk, 'secre-
] tary Of the United States department
of agriculture for this bureau to be al
| lowed to receive the reports of his de-
I partment as they appear from time to
! time. In addition to the above /
| would recommend that the following
publications be subscribed for: The
Tropical Agriculturist the Indian
Forester.
Also that the following list of books
be purchased: Tea Culture and Pre-
paration, the Coffee Cub, the Coffee
Leaf Disease, tt Coffee Tree and its
Enemies, All About the Cocoanut
Palm, All About India Rubber and
Gutta Percha, All About Spices, All
About Tobacco, All About the Pal
myra Palm, all about aloe and ramie
fibre, dyes, drugs, etc.
The above list will form the nucleus
of small library from which much
valuable information can be obtained
of the greatest value to our agricul-
tural industries.
The attention of your commissioner
has been strongly drawn to the rapid
destruction of the forests in this cOun-
try, and complaints are heard from
various districts of these islands which
prove that the same state of things
as regards the forests prevail in a
more or less degree through the group.
To illustrate this, and from the fact
that L may speak from experience,
gained by a residence of many years,
L beg to mention the district of Hama
kua, Hawaii, as particularly exposed
to the disastrous effect of the rapid
destruction of its forests with its pro-
longed droughts and occasional floods
which run to waste and ruin. Twenty
five years ago what was a dense prim-
ival forest, is now open country with
thousands of dead trees lying in every
direction, and the complaint is heard
from the graZiers (whose cattle have
caused this destruction) that the
streams which formerly flowed all the
year round, now only flow during q
rainstorm. Unless the cause of this
obstruction is checked, it is plainly
apparent that in tire (and that not
far distant) these islands will become
denuded of it's forests, and as they dis
appear so will our agriculture disap-
pear.
AS the forests of country become
destroyed so will the rainfall become
lessened. The moisture bearing clouds |
as they pass over the land no longer |
meet the cool strata of air that rises |
from well forestred country and |
causes the clouds to distii into rain, |
but instead encounters the heated air |
that ascends from the sun-baked earth |
and pass on and give their moisture |
to some more favored locality, or |
waste il over the ocean. 1t is much |
easier to prevent the destruction of |
the forests of a country than to forest |
it. The work of planting forest is |
slow and expensive. n |
Much of the old forests of this coun- |
try would be in a great measure re-
stored in few years by simply fency
ing and keeping all animals from the |
land. AS proof of this, would point |
to the work done by the Pacific Sugar |
Mill Co, at Hamakua, which few |
years ago fenced some thousands of |
acres of land upon which the forest |
had been nearly destroyed by cattle. |
Now they have a beautiful forest, |
which if extended through the whole |
district of Hamakua would do much |
to prevent g recurrence of the severe |
and prolonged drought which did so |
much damage to the plantations of
that district during the past year, and
which will undoubtedly repeat itself |
more frequently in the near future. |
While the government provides home |
steads for small farmers under the |
law, the question of the destruction |
of our forests, the more to appeal to |
its consideration on a broad principle, |
and your board will be looked to as |
the representative body who should |
submit ways and means to grapple |
with the momentous question in a |
practical manner. Homesteads with |
out a regular supply of moisture,
eventually without a natural water |
supply, would become unproductive,
untenantable, and the problem would |
be deplorable failure, and the same |
misfortune will happen to all agricul- |
tural enterprises, small or large, in |
due course of natures laws.
A commencement in the line of pro- |
lection to existing forests, with the |
view of restoring as far as possible the |
forests almost destroyed already, but |
not vet without the tenacious vitality |
which leaves hope for partial restor- |
alton of prior trees, shrubs, vines and |
ferns, can be made in the first place |
with government lands to be leased |
hereafter. L beg TO submit that |
as far as possible no government |
forest land should be leased for |
pasturage, and land containing |
both open and forest land should |
be granted only on condition |
that the forest il tn be projected by /