The Hawaiian gazette., 1898-12-20
John N. HtrlGrs DeIsls Of His
Forestry Paper.
fURIhtR FACTS ARE PRtStMJtD
Cioss Observation IN Hamskua.
not 'Dsctdsdiy Wrong" ps 10
Rsady 10 Dsmonstrate

EDITOR =. G. Al see ln ylewlnl
my r'por. on Forestry al tha LAT,
] Planters meeting, some Of It's member
! express che belief that am "decld.
edly wrong when state that stock
does HOt injuTe forests as much as man,
fire and worms"
IL must De remembered was writing
respecting the destructive enemies to
our Hamakua forest on the Island of
Hawaii, which Is one of the largest
fOnests Of the group. where I have seen
various enemies OF the forest at work
the past sixteen years and write from
\ knowledge Of the facts. ! know am
not mistaken. 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 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, II the truth
was known, stock has injured them
still less.
II 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
Fire and stock leave their mark upon
trees they destroy. Their mark is not
on these trees. Yet they are dead. .
| will show a young ohia forest that
has grown up the past thirty years. II
Is vigorous, with horned stock in plen-
~ in II all these years. Mr.. Wilson told
me he had part of this land rented
years ago, and he got 1000 hides a 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 II has
been encroached upon by man. One
may ride hither and thither over 1t for
days without finding so much as one
tree killed by stock. 1t Is true there
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, I 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 | have lived among stock
and near large forests most of my life
and never taken 1t 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
We're 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 ohia and
koa grown here. Yet during the fif-
teen years my mind runs back, not
even one of those trees was ever de
stroyed by stock. think it would be
well for those who feel deep interest
in forest preservation, TO look beyond
stock for the principal enemies of Ha-
waiian forests
JOHN NJ HORNER.