The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-02-14
FORESTS OF
HAWAII NEl
{ fContinued from page II

Il
the trees, but L have told them that they
eat the ferns, and by doing SO they open
up the forest and the insects then at
tack the trees.
ION Maui, where the big ditch is, you
will find on the mauka side the forest is
a Jungle whereas below it is clear ana
perfectly OPEN The underground disap-
pears and the heavy Hilo grass comes IN
and no seeds can then reach through ana
terminate. There are some pretty park
like places, but these do not conserve the
water as the ground dries up.
Take the Islands as whole, and there
are few localities where there are natur-
al reservoir sites, and the water Is vast
ed. L think the planters are all alive 10
the effects which the forests have over
the stream flow. The forests actually IN
crease the rainfall. The temperature IN
the forest is lower than In the SURROUND
ing country, and when clouds come there
not a drop will fall, but when they strike
the mountains where the timber as the
rain comes down. In places where the
mountains are bare the rain does not
come That has been proven. The pant
ers feel the need OF forests, pul 1t ooeS
not appear to me they nave seen thS
need at headwaters. Those who are &C
uuainted with the island of Hawaii know
that as you come from Hamakua 70
Waimea and down through Pahala, most
of the slopes cannot be used Tor sugar
or grazing. The forests, if preserves
there will increase the rainfall
Coming around to Hilo, you cross
stream after stream to the government
road These streams are vitality import
ant to the plantations in fiuming their
cane as it is too rough to construct ran
roads 1t is ten times more important 10
preserve the forests at the heao"atefS
than below If the forests were stripped
it would be hard TO get the water. Inc
water would sink at the headWaters anu
flow under through the strata and codid
only be obtained by tunnelling and smart
ing.
rerate those lands which are adjacent
and along the headwaters of the streams
That is the principal thing to do. II Is
not only a question of seSreSatlnS these
lands but also question OF fencing a.
Pahala they have 81 miles of fencing ana
have had it there for five years; before
the fencing was up you could ride all
through the forests after bullochs' oIt
now there is no trail, and you can only
get through by using cane knIs'
/ The rapidity of denudity and the rap
! idity of growth in the Islands mas sur .
prised me This is not a question OF
leaving forests for posterity to ENJOY.
! 1t is a question of now. think the cat
| tie business ought to be run with little
more system. When / have ASKED "iiSL
cattle were. l have been tolo' Up
mauka in the forests. There the cattle
90 TO escape the heat and horn-tiies ana
TO obtain the moisture That Is what Is
driving the forests back and 1t means
the forests will be destroyed by cattie
/ and sheep. On the ranches where the
cattle are being handled in paddocks ht-
tie damage is being done.
| Putting trees alongside the plantations
is an excellent thing, especially on Oahu
along the Waianae and Koolau ranges
/ II is surprising TO see what the forests
will do when fenced off. Back of EVA,
where the country has been enclosed,
Young koa trees are coming up. Mr..
| Baldwin on Maui has found by plowlns
that hundreds of young koa trees have
come up. which shows that the seed VIII
! hold its terminating power for period
| of ten years.
| Most of the government lands are I'M
der long leases, so the government can
not do much at present There are gov
! eminent grounds which the Territorial
government, 1 suppose, could set aside
as forest preserves, but as the planters
and grazers have the lands. it rests with