The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-08-01


subtractions TO additions. There il
here the wonderful royal palm, its
great white trunk making it the mos
architectural of all Gods trees, SO thai
a row of the royal palms is natura
colonnade; there is the ever-pictur-
esque cocoanut palm, its long stem
shooting off on grotesque cukves. like
a sky-rocket; there is the far-spread-
ing, hospitable banyan of childhood's
picture books; there is the Poinciana
regia, or flame tree-in February q
leaf1ess skeleton rattling long and ugly
seedpods. but to be gorgeous later on;
there is the marvellous travellers palm
the useful algaroba, and such vines
and hedges, Waste and nearly stag
nant ponds are covered with the lotus
and with lilies, white and blue; and
elsewhere rice fields paint the land
scape with their peculiarly fresh green,
and the sugar cane waves in the wind,
like a corn field yellowish green. Up
on the mountain-on Tantalus-one
gets among the tree ferns and the
wonderful giant vines, and knows at
last that the north temperate zone
is, indeed, far away.
AS for the algaroba, it is much the
commonest tree on the islands and
much the most useful. But it is not a
native. and the mother tree of all the
countless brood can still be seen-with
suitable label-on one of the principal
streets of Honolulu. The tree is sug-
Sestive of the pepper in appearance,
but not as large, averaging about the
size of our apple trees. 1t was brought
to the island in 1887, from Australia,
~
that act did as much for the people of
the Hawaiian Misunderstanding in
material sense-as perhaps any man
who ever went there. The bean is good
for cattle and so liked by them that
one may see pastures" without
blade of grass and looking like
orchards and the tree is invaluable
as fire wood 1t has shallow roots, so
that one can never tell when a strong
wind may lay it low; but it is rapid
grower, and already woods all the is
lands, while a man need not have a.
supply his rather frugal fire needs
years end have as good trees as he
had at its beginning!
The wonderful Towering vines are
the Bougainvillea and the Bignonia
venusta-the latter a mass of orange
colored bloom-throwing it's royal
mantle of Holland clear over the roofs
Of houses, and the former an equally
wonderful mass of cerise, or much more
rarely of scarlet, flowers. The Bou-
gainvillea is a great favorite, as it
we'll may be, but it's commoner color
SO fights with the color of every other
flower in the garden that if one is |
particular about effect one must plan |
% set it in plain green. But it is suf- |
iciently beautiful in itself; and when, |
n walking or driving about Honolulu, |
me comes on the great splashes of one |
,r the other of these vines-as one
yery frequently does-any lack of flow
.rs as compared with California is for
gotten.
The most familiar hedge is the hi
discus, which is found in all parts of
he city. Almost all the time it Is
hickly covered with large flowers of
bright red, like very wide open red
ulips These lie on the top and sides
f the hedge, showing strongly against
he green, as if they were pinned there
or temporary effect. This also adds
ouch to the floral show of the island.
IN the stone walls, of which there are
= considerable number, the night
looming cereus is a common hedge or
over. 1t is said that in front of Oahu
ollege the flowers of the plants num-
er some thousands at time. In the
ardens the most common decorative
liant is the croton, which comes in
lany varieties.
There is little good landscape work
he gospel of the open lawn with
,assed border planting seemed hardly
, be known In a few cases a tropical
,ngIe had been attempted: in many
,ora there was an unhealthfuily thick
lanting that was without beauty, or
,eming purpose, while in most there
ere lawns badly spotted" with palms
nd other plants. AS to the thick
lanting. the story was that Things
ere put in when small and that Wnen
1ey grew large. as everything soon
nos there. the owners could not bear
, puIi them up-which is probable
xpIanation. but poor excuse.
,vhere are two squares" which
,obt 10 be ornamental. and of which
NV, one can by the kindest of inter-
.eta+ions be called so; and there is
roe park that in most respects is
orse than any of the private gar
ans. But the superintendent is now
,ing what he can for it, with meager
and the people are
aroused, have Ideals. ano
I've promise of so nearly reailzlng
,am that the conditions / have de-
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