The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-09-20
THE LAND WILL BLOOM.
WHAT rs BEING DONE AROUND
PUNCHBOwL HILL.
The Botanic Garden-New Nursery
Forest Fires-suggestions-a
Peep Ahead.

The work of the Bureau of Agricul.
ture and Forestry must always be of
interest to the people of this country.
Looking over Mr.. Marsden's recent re-
port to the Minister of the Interior a
resume OF the work done on the new
botanic garden is found. OF this the
Commissioner says:
At meeting of the Bureau held on
July >, 1893, the question of procuring
a more suitable and larger tract of land
for an experimental and botanic garden
was considered. Your Commissioner
was instructed to apply to His Excel
lency the Minister of the Interior to set
apart the land of Kewalo, situated on
the southeast slope and mauka of Punch
bowl, for an experimental and botanic
garden under the auspices of the
Bureau. This land has been set apart
by the Minister of the Interior accord.
ing to Section of the law to establish a
Bureau of Agriculture and Forestry,
passed in 1892.
This land is admirably situated, COM
prising both hill and valley, with a re-
markablv rich soil on the lower lying
portions. All the economic trees and
plants can be grown and experimental
with on this land, but in order to carry
on this work, water is needed. The
Government water mains are now with
in q short distance, and not more
than half mile of 4-lnch pipe is re-
quired to be laid to carry the water so
as to command all the lower and richer
portions of the track.
The Reformatory School could be
moved to this site, and the boys, under
the superintence OF a competent garden
er, would be atle to do nearly all the
work of the garden acquiring habits of
steady industry and becoming familiar
with the processes OF the propagation
and care of plants, grating, budding,
tree planting, etc., learving them in a
condition, when released from school,
to earn their own living and become
useful members OF society.
The work OF carrying on the forest
planting can, with equal advantage, be
carried on from this site. Most
of the land yet to be planted can
be more easily reached from the new
ground than from the present station
below Tantalus, as all the land Tor quite
a distance around the camp has been
planted, and the distance for the labor
ers to travel to their work is continually
increasing.
In another part of his report the
Commissioner refers at length to the
recurrence of forest fires, and describes
the efforts being made by the Govern
ment to prevent these destructive con-
flagrations He says:
During the month of September,
1898, two fires occurred within few
days of each other, both taking place in
Pauoa valley. The first one was started
on the north side on private lands, APP.
parently for the purpose of burning off
the old grass 50 as to provide new pas
ture.
No attempt was made by the owners
to confine the fires to the lands upon
which 1t started, and was only subdued
and extinguished by labor hired and
paid by the Government.
The second fire was started on the
south side of the valley by some one,
supposed to be a Chinese, burning up
some rubbish. This fire which ragged
fiercely for several hours was only pre-
vented from entering and destroying
the new forest by great exertion on the
part of Mr.. ID. Haughs, the forester,
with the Japanese laborers and some
natives and Portuguese who were
luckily within easy call, while the fire
in the valley was only brought under
control and subdued by the help of a
gang of men working from the valley.
Rewards were offered for information
that would lead to the apprehension and
conviction of the parties who started
the fire, but no evidence could be OBJ
tanned. In order to prevent as much as
possible danger from future fires, strips
of land surrounding the forest will he
al ~ no 70 1ry
weather sets in. In this connection it
would seem reasonable that owners of
land upon which any fire should origi-
nate, should be obliged to keep such fire
within bounds upon then own lands, or
else be held responsible for any damage
that may ensue from such fire.
During the month of January gang
of prisoners were employed in the work
of planting the sides of Punchbowl with
keawe seeds (prosopis dulcis) these
seeds were planted six feet apart, and
many of them have grown, 1t is the
intention of your Commissioner to sup
plement this preliminary planting, by
setting out next year young growing
trees of the prosopis dulcis in any of the
places that have missed. Seeds have
been propagated at the nursery for this
purpose. and they will be cared for UNI
til the next rainy season. The greater
part of Punchbowl is under lease to the
Queen Dowager, who has given her
consent to the Government planting the
land, and an agreement viii be prepared
for her to sign to the effect that she will
not permit any destruction to the tree:
that may be planted.
Therefore, in few years Punchbow
will be green hill, refreshing to the
eye, instead of the dry, barren appear
ance which 1t now presents