The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-09-08
FORESTER
CHIEF IS HERE
(Continued from &c 81

| much to your farms you cannot send
off and get IT. This is so fully appre-
ciated by farmers in the western part
of the United States. where the value
of little forest cover is realized. The
thicker the forest the more the rain
| fall is soaked away for use in the dry
season. Many years of careful expert
ments throughout Europe have shown
that forest will cake care of five
sixths of the rainfall and allow. but
one-si,sth of it to run off. If that same
| ground is cleaned of its forest or of
its underground a large part of that
rainfall will run off Immediately and
where the ground is dry and bare five
sixths will run away.
when person considers what an
| immense amount of water viii fall on
valley of. say, 2Oe8 square miles he
will appreciate what is lost when he
sees this water run of in June which
might be kept until September if there
was a forest cover in the upper val
| ley.
One great destructive agency is fire
+ and when fire runs through forest
| and clears out the underbrush and
| leaves the trees standing, the natural
reproduction to supply the future forest
is delayed great many years. And
where the standing timber is removed
| there is absolutely no chance for future
! forests in that locality. The under
growth SO often affords protection to
| the young seedlings. If there are SIM
ply young seedlings and grass the live
stock would soon get rid of this young
growth.
"A hundred thousand seedlings will
| cover an acre, on which from fifty TO
one hundred trees will work up. For
est trees standing apart will not make
good timber. If trees are not close to-
gether they run out to branches and do
not make in height When closely set
their branches break off against each
other, and besides the sun getting only
at the tops will make the growth high.
In the Philippines we did not start
in on scientific work, but first endeavor-
made 100000 the first year, 100000 the
second and then $26O,0O0. So, after the
first year, when I asked for appropria-
lions they were very generous.
Before having legislation on the sub
ject had a talk for two days with
the lumbermen-Chinese, Spanish and
Filipfnos.. We have as rule public
discussion of public acts before they
are passed, so when this came up there
was very little left to be said after our
conference"
Captain Ahern, being asked about his
future movements, stated that he was
going to the st. Louis Exposition as
member of the committee to look after
the disposition of the exhibits at the
close of the fair. He had already given
orders to send a large variety of Phil
ippine seeds to the Hawaiian Board of
Agriculture and Forestry. The last
time he was in Honolulu he took eight
varieties of sugar cane to the Philip
pines, which had done we'll there. Some
pineapple plants taken hence at the
same time had died. On his return,
which he expected would be in the
January steamer, he intended to take
some choice pineapple plants specially
packed. They have some good pines
from Ceylon, also some fair native vari-
in quality of pineapples. Captain Ahern
intends to experiment with pineapp1es
at different attitudes and in various
soils.
Questioned about general conditions
in the Philippines, Captain Ahern said
the Filipinos were at last beginning to
accept the, Americans. He thought that
during this last year a change for the
better had come over the attitude OF
the people toward the situation.
Americans in the Philippines do not
like the idea of paying duties on goods
from the United States. Captain Ahern
internal revenue would probably be
substituted for the customs tariff as
a means of revenue for the support OF
the government of the islands. This
was one of the things for which he in
tended to work on his present visit
home.
Captain Ahern says that Governor |
Luke E. Wright is doing splendidly. 1t |
was feared when he was appointed !
that, being Southern man. the posi-
ton might be less congenial to him