The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1900-10-02

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wooded land nan rrFeftDd and zoe Dol
chsrIs ~ forosirrs ana cleveland set
aside q 600 epa The process ~ s.Rr"-
gation ftili Fo"s on.
No. California United states cavalry
are employed a. hep The cattle and
sheep men from enterlnr the reserved
tracts nnd Fpofism.n are n1i allowed
60 90 there with guns lost they may set
a.. undorhruFh on nrr. Her, in Hawaii
th. woods term with Wild cattlr. Fppis
aud hogs and on Muloknl The deer are
abundant Nor - care taken, ns IL be-
inp shown now IN the mountain dis
tricts ~ Maui, 10 prevent forest free
~ the United states had charge ~
these wooded tracts all des lructive AMI
mails would be driven out or killed. es-
pccially the goats which are as obiec-
tionable here az sheep are ia the West
a herd Of goats will not browse at ran
dom like deer. They crop one place
bare before they move on To another
and as was said OF the Turk with par.
donable exAggeration. Where they
more" Cattle do much to break
branches and small trees and the wild
hogs root up tender growths. Added
to the other instrumentalities Of loss IL
the man in the firewood business. "Koa
fireWood for sale" was a late adver-
tisement in an Island paper. Why
should there be any koa firewood for
sale?
Every country which has permitted
It's forests TO be destroyed has found
reason TO regret the error. The his
torian Strabo notes the damage done In
the earliest times by deforestation; the
decline OF Spain as a great power is
closely associated with the poverty that
came OF the alternate drouths and
floods resulting from the same cause.
Centuries ago, taught by harsh expert
ence, japan began to conserve her ma
tive trees and now the land Is we'll
wooded despite the fact that timber IL
the most valued OF commodities there
The people have been taught to warm
themselves over little dishes OF char
coal; they have been Obliged to use
bamboo and thatch instead OF lumber
and shingles for many of their habita-
lions; and as regards fences they either
use bamboo or hedges or they mark
lines with bitches. AS n re-
suit OF forest preservation Japan has |
few floods or drouths. In the wet sea
sons the MOSES and porous earth hold |
the surplus water back until 1t flows
away by degrees; and when long dry |
spells come the shaded ground cannot
become hot and 1t continues to feed
the springs and rivulets. maintaining
an equilibrium which nature always
does when let alone. In China, how
ever, conditions are quite the reverse.
and now vast floods In the Yellow river
md in the Yangtse alternate with fam
ines due to drouth.
Weeks ago the Advertiser described
the effect OF forest denudation in st.
Helena and an excellent article. from
which the following extract is taken,
now appears In the Star:
When first discovered. 397 years ago. st.
Helena was dcus.iy covered with luxuri-
ant forest vegetation, the trees overhang-
ing the seaward precipices and covering
every part OF the surface with an ever
green mantle. This indigenous vegetation
has been almost wholly destroyed. and
though an immense amount OF foreign
plants have been introduced and grow
uxuriantly where the soil remains, other |
PARTS remain denuded and barren and can |
never again be reforested.
The cause OF this In plain, and IL a les |
son to us In denudation II We can only |
earn 1t. The rich soil formed by decom-
,ched volcanic rock and vegetable depos-
is could only be retained on the steep
'lCpes SO long as II was protected by the |
to which, In a great part, II |
WED It's origin. When this was destroy |
ID, the heavy tropical rains soon washed |
away the soil and left n vast expanse of |
,are rock or sterile clay. Any one with |
yes to see can go about these Islands and
Zee similar results The causes of de-
truction have been at work a much less
ine than at st. Helena. they are spread
Yer greater area, so they have not yet
toved as disastrous. but they will do
they are allowed to so on unchecked.
But II Is not really necessary to mar
hal evidences. The case OF the forests
g. the destroying hand Is unassallable;
he point is to profit by the lesson and
10 something for Hawaii before 1t is too
ate. For many reasons our people do
ot want Island public lands to be ad
ninistered from Washington; but un-
ess proper care is taken of the re-
naming forests by the Territorial Gov
rnment there can be no other recourse.