The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-09-18
NOXIUUS PLAINS.
What K. l.. Stevenson Said of
Samoa's Deadly Enemy.

w lIdk l.. olSNGISOu SAM III
Samoa's Deadly Enemy.
People who understand the serious
loss which has been caused the farmers
OF Oregon by the introduction of the
wild oat from California, the corn
flower bachelor button" or French
pink, and other noxious plants, will
be interested in reading what Robert
Louis Stevenson, the celebrated writer,
whose pen threw a glorifed halo of
word painting around every subject il
touched. wrote in regard to the sen
sitive plant" in the Samoan islands,
where it is called 'tuitui.' Mr.. Steven
son. it will be rendered, settled on
an elevated location above Apia, where
the climate was found to be best adapt
ed to his health, and where he built
home, cleared tract of land, wrote
a number of his books and stories, and
finally died of consumption and was
buried on the summit of the noun
tain. He used occasionally to work
with his men at what he called weed
ing but which was really clearing his
ground of trees, roots, weeds, ETC., and
preparing it for cultivation. He said
that in going around to look over the
work that had been done, he found the
'tuitui" springing up at the heels of
the men clearing the ground.
The sensitive plant is low plant
growing in thick masses, like wild
clover, which, at distance it resem-
bles. Persons who have crossed the
isthmus of Panama may have seen it
covering the embankments along the
railway. When touched by the hand
or by a switch passed over it, the
leaves droop as if wilted by heat.
In writing to friend of his expert
ence in wedding on one occasion, Mr..
Stevenson says:
II found great deal of tuitui, our
deadliest enemy. A fool brought it to
this island in pot and used to lecture
and sentimentalize over the tender
thing. The tender thing has now
taken charge of the island, and men
fight it with torn hands for bread and
life. A singular, wondrous thing
shrinking and biting like a weasel, and
clutching by it's roots as limpet
clutches to a rock.
''Tuitui is a truly strange beast and
gives food for thought. l am nearly
sure-I cannot be quite-that even at
the instant he shrivels up his leaves
he sticks his pinchers downward so as
to catch the uprooting finger. One
thing that takes and holds me is to
see the strange variation in the prOpa-
cation of alarm among these rooted
beasts; at times it spreads to radius
of six inches; at times only one ind1-
vidual plant is frightened at time.
We knew how long it took one to re-
cover; tbs sanguine creature, and was
all abroad again before two. minutes.
1t is odd how difficult in this world it
is to be armed. The double armor of
this plant betrays it. In thick tuft,
where the leaves disappear, | thrust In
my hand and the bite of the thOrns
betrays the topmost stem. In the open,
again, and when l hesitate if it be
clover a touch on the leaves, and It's,
fine sense and retractible action be-
trays it's identity at once. Yet it has
one gift incompatible. Rome had viz
tue and knowledge; Rome persisted.
The sensitive plant has ind1geSt1ble
seeds, and it will flourish forever. L
give my advice thus to young plant
have a strong root, weak stem, and
an indigestible seed; so you will out
last the Eternal City and your pro-
geny will clothe mountains, and the
irascibIe planter will blaspheme IN
vain. The weak point of tuitui is that
it's stem is strong"