The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-04-27
PEST
QUARANTINE
DAVID HAUGHS TELLS WHAT HAS
BEEN DONE IN THE PAST IN
THE MATTER

EDITOR STAR;-Will you kindly al
low me space in your valuable raper
i'm reply to your editorial of the 18th
inst condemning the Department of
Agriculture and Forestry. You lay
great stress on the loose way in which
plants have been inspected heretofore,
and cite the fact that a consignment
of cocoanuts imported lately, had no
less than seventy or eighty species of
insects on them. AS the writer had
something to do with the inspecting of
plants for several years prior to Sep
TENDER, 1901, an explanation may not
be out of place. As | was for most OF
the time in charge of the Government
nursery this work of examining plants
did not belong to me nor did 1 receive
any extra compensation for it, Being
asked to do the work by my superiors
in office, with the approval and under
! the instructions of Prof. koebele, !
| therefore consented and did the work
to the best of my ability. when Prof
! Koebele was in town he was always
asked to go along when there were any
plants to be inspected, which he very
| often did, ana approved of the WY it
| was done. Under his instructions a {
the sight of any insect life whatever
| the plants were taken to the Govern
ment nursery and dipped in a solution
! prepared by himself. The sugar cane
sent from Fiji by Prof Koebee which
was afterwards found to be diseased,
was treated according to his instruc-
! tiOns. In letter received from him
at that time, runs in part as follows:
81 send you by same steamer a guam
| tity of sugar cane said to be borer-
proof and one of the best sugar pro-
! ducers in Fiji. When you receive it.
soak it for forty-eght hours in a strong
solution of lime water which will be
| sufficient to kill any insect life that
may be on it, then take it to the plan
! ter's experiment station"
The cane was treated according to
his instructions and delivered at the
experiment station still dripping with
the solution. All plants arriving in
We're taken to the nursery where the
soil was all taken off and burned along
with the packing and casing. They
were then dipped in the solution, ,e
pOtted in fresh soil and given to their
| respective owners. People who receiv-
ed plants at that time can testify as to
the accuracy Of this. Neither cocoa
| nut fruit nor any other kinds of fruit
| came under the law of inspection, un-
less they were sprOuted, then they
| went through the same process as 9TH
was received from Prof. Koebele in
forming the Board of the Mediterra-
| mean Fly which was doing much dam
| age to the fruits in Australia. At his
request the importation of fruit from
the Australian colonies and South Sea
| Islands was forbidden. The Board Of
| Agriculture and Forestry then passed
a motion to that effect. No cocoanuts
| arrived after that, during the time l
was inspecting plants, but several cases
of citrus fruits were sent out to sea
and sunk in deep water. The Board
of Agriculture and Forestry was well
aware of the danger of insect pests be-
ing introduced, and every precaution
was taken. In the report of the Board
to the Minister of the Interior for the
biennial period ending December 3lst,
1899, the system of fumiga ton was rec
commended which was considered the
only safe way of dealing with import
ed plants, fruits, etc, and the system
adopted by most countries. The report
runs in part as follows:
'As a preventative against the intro
duction of plant diseases, blights and
insect pests, your commissioner, who is
also inspector of plants at the port of
| Honolulu, would recommend that a
| strict quarantine be kept at all ports
of entry to the Hawaiian Islands; that
a responsible person be appointed in
| spector of plants for each port; that
each port be provided with a small
apartment to be used as fumigating
| room, and provided with the necessary
chemicals used for fumigating plants;
| that all plants, fruits and seeds import
ed from foreign countries, if found nee
essary be subject to a thorough sys-
| tenn of fumigation. If great care is not
taken, pests may be introduced that
may prey on the principal industries Of
the Islands and cost the country mil
lions of dollars"
Forestry is another branch of the
Bureau which you see fit to criticize
The writer has also had something to
do with that part of the Bureau, being
employed at the Tantalus forest from
May, 1898, to September, 1896. The work
on Tantalus was done to the satisfac-
ton of the then commissioner, Joseph
| Marsden, and the members of the
Board as the yearly reports will show.
During the six years l was employed
at the Government nursery, l had very
little to do with the forestry part fur
ther than raising AID supplying the
! plants. and going up OCCASIONALLY to see
| how the trees were getting along. AS
to your statement that scientific facts
are not recognized, is entirely uncall-
ed for. There has never been any sug-
gestiOn made by any member of the
Board or any of the commissioners that
has not been tried. When f.. NJ. Grit
| fiths, expert forester, Bureau of For
estry, Washington, was here on his
mission of inspection of the forests q
the Hawaiian Islands, he visited both
| Tantalus and Nuuanu. He was shown
over the Nuuanu tract, and the diff
culties in growing trees in such windy
situation was explained to him. and he
! was asked If he cohld give us any
! suggestion rs to the best system of re-
| forestinE HE same. He did not give
any suggestion, but approved OF the
work that was being done. He then
visited the Tantalus forest along with
Wray Taylor and reported in part as
follows:
The reforestatlon of Tantalus by the
Department. Of Agriculture and Fores-