The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1896-03-06
Making an aggregate of........Sl6, $50

Your committee interviewed Mr.
Marsden, the Commissioner of Agri-
culture, and al>o Professor Koebele
relative to the work that has beer
accomplished in this branch of the
Government and the plans for the
present biennial period.
The report of this bureau which
undoubtedly gives fully an account OF
their work, il in the hands of the
printer ana will not come iuto the
Senate for distribution before the an
PrOi,iidtion for the bureau will come
up for consideration. We will there
fore give bri' fly IN outline of Inc
work accomplished.
Mr.. Marsden, as Commissioner OF
Agriculture, has charge of the old
Government nursery, and a new
nursery in Makiki valley where they
are trying all kinds of foreign tropical
fruits. He also has charge of the Ma
kikl forests above Punchbowl We
are told that he has imported about
thirty new varieties Of fruit trees, and
about the same number of forest
lrees, besides 200 varieties of tree
seeds that they are endeavoring to
propagate.
They have also introduced a mum.
Der of varieties of fiber plants and
grasses which have been planted in
the nursery, and also distri. uted
throughout the islands. We under.
stand that they distributed from the
nursery, throughout the islands last
year, IA, 500 trees and planted out and
cultivated 27,500 forest trees.
The office work of the department
undoubtedly. takes up most of Mr..
MaTdrD's tine. He has large cor
respondeuce with other countries re-
iative to trees, shrubs, plants ana
grasses it may be of benefit to intro
duce here. He is also constantly
called upon to reply to letters from
abroad, relative to the agricultural
products of this country, by parties
who contemplate coming here TO
reside.
Sut the most important work of
this department. in connection with
Professor Korbele, is and has been the
study of the insect pests and blights
of this country, and of the lady bug
aud parasites that will feed upon and
destroy these pests, and also the in
reduction, the colOniziDg and dis |
tribution of these lady bugs through
out the islands.
Professor Koebeie, an entomologist |
of recognized ability, has for twenty
years mace q thoroughly pratical use |
of his knowledge of entomology in
his study of insect kingdom who feed |
upon and destroy these pests, and
your committee feels that this Gov.
ernment is fortunate in having Sc
cured his valuable services.
II. 10 |.
1900 varieties of lady bugs that are
known. sOf this number 200 varieties
are injurious to vegetation-it is
therefore absolutely necessary that a
thorough entomolOgist should super
intend this work, or varieties of lady
bugs might be introduced that would
be more harmful TO our agricultural
products than the pests we now have.
When Professor Koebele was first
employed by this Government he
made careful study of the pests of
this country. Since then he has spent
most of his time in Australia, Ceylon,
Japan and China, studying the pests
of those countries and the bugs that
destroy them.
From these countries he has sent
here $50 varieties of lady bugs in large
all of which feed upon and
destroy the forty or more kinds OF
insect pests we have in this country.
The results, as we all know, are very
gratifying and satisiactory--the
blights here that threatened to ruin
the coffee industry, that attacked the
orange and other classes of fruit and
trees, also sugar cane, are
being gradually cleaned out.
In carrying on this work Professor
koebele acknowledged with pleasure
the valuable assistance that Mr.. Mars.
den. who takes live interest in the
work, renders him at this end of the
line.
The proposition is that the Professor
should now visit Mexico and the Cen
tral American States with view to
obtaining toads aud bats or insects to
clean out the beetles and worms so
damaging to cane fields and pastures
and vegetation generally.
Your committee heartily approves
of the passage of the items for this
important branch OF the Government,