The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1900-09-28
THE FOES OF THE
ISLAND FORESTS

Trunk of "papaia." charpenterin obovata,
Dr. place where bark had been badly eaten
by cattle Mt Puuwaawaa.
The above are about the FIRST indigenous
Insects to appear on diseased timber
trees. After these come large number
OF various genera and species preying up
on dead wood. AS n fact, the most of the
Hawaiian coleoptera. are knowa to live
upon trees In sich condition In addition.
larvae of tineidae make their appearance,
readily noticed by the webs !ntermixed
with remains and excrement of the same
Usually this remains as long as the trees
are in an upright condition, or until the
last stage OF their existence.
Now wa como to the
WORST FOE greatest enemies of the
OF OUR beautiful Hawaiian for
ests, the worst and
most destructive ever
Introduced among tropical forests, which
VII sooner or later, but positively and
ntlrely disappear before the army OF dew
astating cattle. doubt that anything in
nature, axe and fire included, would have
IN the same space of time brought the
once densely clothed Islands to the pres
ent condition.
If we could look backward fifty or sixty
years we would see the two large noun
ta'ns of Maui meet by trees on the plains:
Lanai and Molokai clothed with forests:
Oahu the same, native trees in numbers
q dense and impossible virgin forest in
Nuuanu valley: the Waianae mountains
with a mantle of beautiful green vegeta-
ticn: Kauai, the fairest OF ALL the Lihue
plains an undisturbed forest, as all along
the west on the windward side. and the
forest on the leeward side coming down
to the sea, in parts at least. We would
see in places uniformly running streams,
and ever flowing springs. Doubtless such
has been the condition of the Islands. The
changes have been brought on to the BEN
eft Of the very few. to the detriment of
the whole Islands and community. To-
day, especially on the leeward side OF thu.
Islands, the cancer spots are visible ev-
erywhere and growing continuously: the
grass has disappeared, each successive
rain takes away more OF the soil, and
during the sunny days the wind Is TAX
ing the same far out to sea. With these
conditions. these barren spots will grow
into barren rocks, where not even the
denounced lantana (the salvation plant of
the Islands) will grow / fear to express
M opinion of the state of conditions fifty
years hence, yet we must trust In a
body of men to form laws and regulations
filing the demands of the Islands. What
Is mostly and Immediately wanted are
strict laws to compel every cattle owner
to fence in his or her cattle, and liberty
to any one to take or shoot any animal
found outside such enclosures, even pay
HS IL uhy SUCH btdSl 81 uc-
'stroyed.
On the lower end OF
CATTLE KILL Puuwaawaa ranch We
THE YOUNG find mixed forest of a
FORESTS. large number of trees
among them some of
the most valuable timber, such as the
sandal wood. santalum freyeinetianum.
the "kauwila." alphitonia ponderosa, and
many others growing among the lava
rocks Some -four or five species ofitrees
are destroyed by the cattle that eat off
the bark, like the ''wiliwili," the papa
O." and other soft-wooded species.
The principal food of cattle in this dis
trict is the underbrush. breaking the
rays of the hot sun on the lava rocks;
the animals will browse upon the young
trees, and eventually destroy the same,
leaving the older plants with the surface
wood exposed. 1t is only question of II
few years until all the trees on such
places disappear entirely. Example. the
piece of land between Mr.. John McGuire's
house, and the lava flow north, with for
ncr forest dead and dried up timber on
the ground. 1t took the cattle very
few years to accomplish this
The upper part of the ranch comprises
some 1900 acres of fertile Government
land, covered with valuable forest trees,
among them the famous koa. 1t is here
where we have seen the sandalwoOd tree
over eighteen inches In diameter Five
years since tnG present ltdSenOluer nau W
hew trail to see the condition of the
lard: today we find handsome open park
land, so to speak, where one can ride
anywhere on horseback. ! venture to say
tat at the expiration of the lease TWEEN
~ years hence, we will find an open pas
trre land, very much in want of moisture.
For the benefit of the country and COM
munitv at large, the Government could
well afford to pay the lessee one thousand
foI every dollar 1t receives as rental for
the rest Of the term. Leaving the neces-
s'ty of forest out of the question. tha
protection of these valuable timber trees
alone would sufficiently pay for all out
lays.
with the kind help and
SEEDS NOW the furnishing of the
PLANTED AT native names by Mr..
NURSERY. Low, we collected and
brought down seeds Of
the following species of trees, now plant
cd at the Government Nursery and at
Moanalua:
"Wauke," broussonetia papyrifera.
"Kauwila," alphitonia ponderosa.
! "Alani." pelea sp.
"Aiea," nothocestrum brevlforum.
ikea" or "kalamona," mezoneuron ka-
uaiense.
"Halapere," dracaena aurea.
"Olapa," cheirodendron gaudichaudii.
"Hoolei," ochrosia sandwicensis.
"Iliahi," santalum freycinetanum.
"Naio," myoporum sandwlcense.
"Aulu" or "kaulu." sideroXylon Sand
wicense.
"Mamani," sophora chysopylla,
qua" olea Sandwcensis
'Papala," charpenteria obovata.
"Pilo." kadua grandis.
"Aalii," dondonaea viscosa.
"Awikiwiki," canavalia galeata.
"Wiliwili," erythrlna monosperma.
"Kookoolau," an ornamental. yellow
Towering composite shrub; seeds OF one
OF the numerous lobeliacaea.
"Alahee," cannot be found In Hillebrand.
"Aa," large tree only known to Mr..
Low In couple of specimens.
Respectfully, A. KoEBELE,
Entomologist.