The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1905-04-28
TO VISIT.
NURSERY
House Solons to Look
Over Forestry
Dept.
tFrom Thursdays Advertiser,

The Board of Forestry and Agricul-
ture will have the honor to receive a
visit at 10 o'clock this morning from
the House Committee on Forestry. The
announcement was made yesterday
afternoon at the regular meeting. The
Committee will have an opportunity
to inspect the exhibition room just ready
to be opened to the public, in which
are on display a fine collection of
woods native to the islands, which were
prepared by Superintendent of Forestry
Hosmer at the Kamehameha Schools.
These woods are cut in the same man
ner as those in the Morris X. Jessup
collection of North American woods i'm
the Museum of Natural History at
New York City. The boards are shown
with the straight board cut, the cross
section, the quarter saw, and radical
section, all shown on each piece of
wood. Each piece is exhibited, half
polished and half natural.
There is also on display a beautiful
collection of local fruit products in
glass jars and preserved in alcohol
This work was done under the super
vision of Entomoogist Alex. Craw.
The jars are arranged on a central
stand in three tiers. The room is now
open to the public during the usual
hours of the department.
MAUI FOREST RESERVE.
The Board adopted the report and
recommendations of superintendent of
Forestry Hosmer on the proposed Ma
kula, Maui forest reserve. His report
was as follows:
April 10, 1905.
Committee on Forestry, Board of Agri-
culture and Forestry, Honolulu, Il.
H.
Gentlemen l have the honor TO sub
nit the following report upon the land
of Nakula. Kaupo, Maui, in response
to a request from the Commissioner
of Public Lands, referred to me on
March %, 1905.
The question before the Board in re-
gard to this land is whether or not the
Governments portion of Nakula is
needed for forest purposes. On March
a. an application for II Il year grazing
lease of Nakula mauka was received
by the Land Office. calling for "all that
land lying mauka of CT 2743 Need
ham and Cook and also mauka of that
portion of Nakula' leased to Capt.
Clarke up to the seven thousand feet
elevation and containing one thousand
acres, more or less
On March 90. the Commissioner of
Public Lands informed the Board that
the application had been amended to
read "all the land makai of the $4,000
five thousand foot elevation, and con-
tanning 5000 six hundred acres more
or less"
have not personally visited the land
of Nakula but from a general knowl-
edge of that portion of Maui, re-
inforced by information obtained from
a number of trustworthy persons.
believe I may safely make the recon-
mendations which follow.
The southern slope of Mt Ha!eakala
in the district of Kaupo and especially
in that of Kahikinui is of much more
recent origin than any other portion OF
Maui and contains much extremely
rough lava, similar In character to that
in the districts of South Kona and
Kau on Hawaii.
Taken a whole this section has not
had a forest cover in recent times II
indeed It ever had. Scattering groves
and groups of trees are found but 1t Is
said by those who know the locality
that even this sort of forest is less In
evidence than 1t was twenty years ago
This forest has gradually disappeared
in the same way as has the denser for
est which formerly covered the Kula
slope.
From the porous character of its
rock and soil this section of Maui is
without running streams. At best ar
area of scant precipitation what water
falls is quickly swallowed up and lost
for economic use.
The chief almost the only use tc
which the lands in this section can bc
profitably put is grazing. And ever
so much of the land is too rough fol
anything but the poorest pasture.
Some of this poorer grazing LAND
could undoubtedly be made to grow
trees of economic Importance and if il
were planted it would probably yielt
better returns from its forest products
than could be got from its use for any
other purpose. This is especially true
of the belt lying above the elevation o.
from 5000 TO 5000 feet. for 1t is at this
elevation above the limit of the native
| Hawaiian forest, that the valuable
i cOniferouS trees from tHe teiiipeia''
' zones-pines, spruces and firs-can b'
made TO grow.
From the above statement 1t Will b'
seen that the forest problem in kahi
kinui and Eastern Kaupo PRACTICAL,
narrows down to the question of III
innate planting. With hardly any ex
listing forest to be maintained and will
surface conditions which make waite
shed protection unnecessary 1t appears
I'D that the part of the land of Ma
kula for which the Commissioner o.
Public Lands asks suggestions is no
now properly to be classed as fores
land and (2) that the portion which
seemingly is most suited for afforesta
ton is excluded from the area propos'
ed to be leased.
therefore recommend O that thu
Board inform the Commissioner Of Pub
lie Lands that 1t sees no objection t.
leasing for grazing purposes. the lane
Of Nakula mauka below the 5000 con