The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-12-19
John NJ. Horner's Defense Of His
Forestry Paper.
FURTHER FACTS ARE PRESENTED
Close Observation in Hamakua.
Not "DeCidedly Wrong"-He Is
Ready to Demonstrate.

EDITOR p. c. Al see in viewing
my report on Forestry at the late
Planters meeting, some of its members
express the belief that / am ''decid-
edly wrong" when / state that "stock
does not injure forests as much as man,
fire and worms
1t must be remembered l was writing
respecting the destructive enemies to
our Hamakua forest on the Island OF
Hawaii, which is one of the largest
forests of the group. where 1 have seen
various enemies of the forest at work
the past sixteen years and write from
a knowledge of the facts. / know | am
not mistaken. l am not in the habit of
writing theory for facts.
am but slightly acquainted with
other forests of these Islands, save the
one above mentioned. Other forests
may differ from this. They may con-
tain a kind of tree that stock will kill.
There may be no destructive worms
there, and perhaps no fires. On the
other Islands the forests are so small,
man has encroached upon them but
slightly and my belief is, if the truth
was known, stock has injured them
still less.
If any doubling Thomas will come
up here, can show him hundreds of
acres of dead koas. Not one was killed
by either man, fire or stock. Worms
destroyed them. 1 see them at work.
Fire and stock leave their mark upon
trees they destroy. Their mark is not
on these trees. Yet they are dead.
l will show young ohia forest that
has grown up the past thirty years. 1t
is vigorous, with horned stock in plen-
ty in it all these years. Mr.. Wilson told
me he had part of this land rented
years ago, and he got 1000 hides year
from the wild cattle in this forest If
mems theories were true about stock
destroying forests. this forest should be
all dead, instead of now being in vigor-
Gus growth, excepting where 1T has
been encroached upon by man. one
may ride hithers and thither over it for
days without finding so much as one
are long strips of old Ohia forests dy-
ing and falling, both where stock run
and where none have been for score
of years, that seemingly died from old
age. They had lived out their genera
tion which is the only way can ac-
count for their being dead. Neither
man. fire or stock killed them, l am
quite sure. Stock will kill the young
koa tree under the conditions named In
my report. There may be other ex-
ceptional cases, but being exceptional,
they are not worth naming.
1t would be interesting if some one
would give in detail how stock destroy
forests, as 1 have lived among stock
and near large forests most OF my LIE
and never taken it in and have yet to
see the first forest destroyed by stock.
In referring back to the days OF my
youth in New Jersey, farmers there
| were very particular to have shade for
their stock in all their pastures. These
shade trees were apple. pear, hickory,
black walnut and forest, all OF good
size, but not so large as the ohla ana
koa grown here. Yet during the hf-
| teen years my mind runs back, not
even one OF those trees was ever de-
stroyed by stock I think it would be
we'll for those who feel deep interest
| in forest preservation, to look beyond
stock for the principal enemies of Ha-
waiian forests.
| JOHN NJ HORNER.