The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-05-15

Of forest on Hawaii, between Walplo
and POIOlu in KOhala, inaccessible 10
cattle, which have died in the same
way. Is not the better solution that
these forest trees have been Killed oy
some insects or have lived their APP
pointed time and, owing to the cattle
and horses, nothing is able to take
their place. Much of the devastation
of our forests is owing to fires, but
where this has occurred the carboniZed
wood remaining without decay for
scores of years will indicate whether
the destruction has been caused by
fire. Much of the dead timber / refer
to, was not killed by fire.
Great changes have undoubtedly
taken place since the discovery of
these islands. IL is within the mem
DRY of persons now living when the
Puukapu plains, Waimea, Hawaii,
were covered with trees, and one who
rode through "Mud Lane" between
Waimea aud Waipio in 1850 cannot
fail to see that in thirty years the for
ests have decreased by at least so per
cent. Fifteen years of cattle grazing
on the slopes back of Pahala planta-
ton in Kau, have retired the forest
and fern line at least one mile. To
the goats, and to some extent the
Sheep that have run wild on Hawaii
a good deal of the decreasing that is
going on. The only antidote which
is effectual (since it no longer pays to
kill the goats for their skins) is the
wild dogs which are making sheep
raising on Hawaii an impOssibility.
CANNES are fortunately not gramini-
vOrOus and do not eat trees and so
when the sheep and goats are des-
troyed by the dogs and the wild pigs
and smaller cattle reduced in
number by them, we may hope that
the vegetation will again increase in
those ranges made bare by the goats
and other ruminants.
The American mission had in early
days a cattle pen beyond Kawaiahao
church. There the herd of cows with
their calves were penned at night and
the COWS MIXED in the morning by
the older boys of the various house
holds. The cattle were then turned
out and roamed along on the plains
and up Manoa valley, to return again
at night. All was then open ground
eastward of the present Alapai street.
The cows of DR.. Armstrong, who lived
where the Punahou PreparatorySchoo
is at present, were MIXED in the pen
mauka of those premises, and the cat
tie were driven to the slopes back of
Punchbowl for their grazing. Within
twenty five years all the land between
Beretania street, Punahou street, and
Prof. AleXander's, was cattle yard,
and the dairy wagon of the East India
man, John Kiratti, the pioneer milk
man, would start from here on its
rounds. Previous to this, natives
would peddle milk in quart bottles set
in square boxes and slung on a pole
over their shoulders, each bottle
corked with q fold of dry bulrushes.
Cattle were slaughtered on Nuuanu
street, on the premises where the
"White House" now is. After this re-
gion became too pOpulous for the wild
cattle to be driven there without dan
ger to human life, this trade was re-
moved to where Mrs. Wards cOcoanut
grove Ia on King street, and finally re-
moved to its present locality below the
prison.
The race track of the days of II. 3.
M. S. Amplitude was on King street
from John Motifs to the rifle range,
and steeple chases used to be run start
ing from Thonoao square to Mr.. Jac-
gers present premises across the bar
rem, fenceless plains. The introduction
of the valley water has made these
plains habitable, and the necet stiles !
of Our population have filled them
With cottages and gardens. There
was, however, some irrigation before
the present water pipes were laid. |
Nuuanu Valley was a series of kalo
patches between the first and second |
bridge; the water was laid on in |
bitches from the Nuuanu and Pauoa |
streams, and some kalo cultivation |
continued as far down as the present |
Fort Street church.
The Nuuanu Valley road, at first a |
xxynd IN hot h.
kalo patches, and thousands of tons of |
earth and stones had to be carted on |
TO make It passable. The road being |
made, the valley was the first locality |
occupied by suburban residences, and |
the taro patches disappeared. 1t does
not take over year, when the water
Is taken oft, to convert them into we'll
sodded pasture land.
The result of careful observation
shows that the native forests increase
Oh the windward and rainy sides of
The islands but decrease on the lee
sides. If Increase of vegetation has an
effect in increasing the rainfall, the
clothing OF thousands of acres on all
he principal islands of this group
With sugar cane has more than coun-
the loss of vegetation by
We ought not to expect then any
diminution or increase in the
afnfall. The statistics prove that the
priOri deduction is correct. Vide
Professor Lyons tables.
Recent observations on the island of
Kauai confirm my opinion that the
of forests is not owing al
Ogether to the cattle. The forests on
he southern or lee side of Kauai on
he land Of Makaweli do not consist of
cry tall trees because it is not a very
yet forest, but the trees are in Wig
rOus condition and the dead timber
mong them is very scarce. The line
( forest is the same as when the Sin
lairs bought the land about thirty
ears ago, and cattle both wild and
anne have roamed all through the ]
1rests for years, without seriously
fecting the density or the vigor of
ne growth.
/ notice that the Hilo grass has
lade but little progress on half of the J
,lQn6 from Tihno n Mana Tn no