The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-11-17
AFTERNOON SESSION.

Baldwin. who said: 1T is not re-
port. and should be considered more in
the light of a contribution. Mr.. Gift
ard had been absent so long from the
country that it was impossible for him
TO make any extended report said: The
ground had been gone over a good
many seasons, and he regretted to say
that nothing had been done toward
planting forests and protecting them
from cattle"
Mr. Baldwin then read a paper, in
which he said that it was not a sub
ject for arugment whether or not the
devastation of forests had an effect
upon the rainfall. 1t had clearly been
demonstrated that where cattle were
allowed to destroy forests or where the
trees had been cut down, the rainfall
was less. What the dimunition is can
not be told, as the rain gauge is not
in general use. He suggested the plant
ing of useful trees all over the coun-
try. and suggested the AlgarOba as one
of them The guava is another tree
that is good for forests. He believed
it would result in large forests il more
time and labor was given to the sub
ject. He related his own experience
at Haiku, and gave the methods used
there to keep up the forests, and ad-
vised their adoption in other districts.
He spoke of the Indigo and Lantana
as growing on the lower levels and be-
coming a pest. The day for indigo is
past, but it left rich soil wherever it
| fiourished in years gone by. The Ian
tana, introduced as a garden plant in
| 1858, has fiourished more than was
good for the country, but he thought
! time would eradicate it, and its place
be taken by something better for the
| country.
| Mr.. SWanZy read a report by Mr..
Forbes of Kukuihaile, a well-knOwn
horticulturist. He confined his paper
| to the District of Hawaii between KO-
| hala and Hamakua. He stated his be-
| lief in the statements that forests in
crease the rainfall, and quoted cele-
| brated French authorities in support
of it. He believed that the salvation
of the planter and the ranchman de-
pended upon the preservation of the
| forests. The forest near Kukuihaele,
II years ago, was a mass of dead and
dying trees; today it is a forest of
trees and seedlings. The rough HiIo
comes established. 1t is not we'll to
leave the work to nature, but to adopt
the method of artificial reproduction,
and care should be taken to plant the
trees that will be the most profitable to
the Islands. He named a number of
trees that would be valuable to the
planter and these should be selected
by him for planting. He noted the in
terest taken by the Government in the
matter of forests, but it remained for
the planters to do their part toward
the same work.
The paper was ordered printed in
the Planters Monthly.
The election of trustees for the en-
suing year was taken up, and on mo-
ton of Mr.. Marsden, seconded by Mr..
Lowrey, the secretary was asked to
cast a ballot for the same trustees who
now fill these positions.
Mr.. MarSden then read a paper on
Diseases and Insect Pests of Sugar
Cane on the Islands, prepared by
Prof. Koebele.
The paper treated of the various
pests, particularly the cane borer beet
lie, crickets, etc.
Mr.. Fairchild, of Makee Sugar Co,
stated in answer to the report that the
lady bird had not been a success on
Kauai, in some instances the lady bird
disappearing and the blight going
ahead of it.
Mr.. Baldwin questioned Prof Koe-
bele's statement that the borer thrived
in moist localities, and stated that he
remembered when Lahaina, which is
rather dry was the home of the bor-
ers.
President Dole. who was present on
invitation, said he had written Mr..
Goodale and Mr. Lowry for their eX-
perience in the prOfit-sharing business
on the plantations. He had Mr.. Good
ales, and Mr.. Lowry was present and
would read his.
John A. Scott stated that he had
purchased nearly SIS, 900 worth of cane
| from outsiders. Most of the cane was
taken off early in the season when
sugar was high and the plan was high
ly satisfactory. He did not consider
what was practicable in one section
would not answer in another.
| President Dole said it was encour-
aging to him to hear the reports. He
felt that he men who were conducting>
their plantations in this way were not
doing it for charity, but because it
| paid them. He spoke of several man
ayers who had adopted the prOft-shar-
| ing plan, and believed it would be a
| benefit to the society to learn the re-
suits from those men.
| Mr. Fairchild said he had had expert
enee and had bought $4,000 worth of
cane. 1t had not been a success, pre-
sumably on account of the contracts.
| The two men who had taken the con-
tract made two and three thousand, re-
! spectively.
! Mr.. Scott said he was disappointed
| in bn Of Jol IL
| had 100 Portuguese families. but not
one took advantage of it; the system
was adopted by the Japanese and Chin
csc.
| Mr.. Lowrey said his experience was
similar. He found the Chinese indiff-
erent, and the Portuguese inclined to
| quarrel among themselves This wear