The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-02-04

/ age and it will last for a long time, and
| if the operations be carried out in the
right way, for very long time indeed.
/ The essence of this preservation is pre-
venting the access of outside destruc-
tive organisms, or so lowering their vi
| tally that they are comparatively
| harmless.
| So with timber. There is no cause
within itself why post set in the
ground should not last for centuries.
| The other day a friend showed me a
piece of timber that had served in the
foundation of an English house for over
| 700 years. 1t appeared perfectly sound
/ The beams in certain substantially
| built European chateaux have lasted
| for centuries and are today as sound
as ever, in fact appear to possess val
liable properties that less aged timber
does not possess, as is evidenced by
| the fact that makers of musical in
struments pay high prices to be allow
ed to dismantle these buildings and re-
move the old timber for use in the
al instruments.
/ In the course of the few moments de-
voted this evening to the blights of
| to note the extent to which the pre-
vious remarks hold true, for if it
prove true that in most instances our
| crop products are carried off before
their time, it behoves us to inquire in
| to the causes, with the object of ascer-
| tanning whether some of the losses are
| not preventable. You will observe that
| in many instances commercially val
| liable remedies are at once suggested
as a result of aneinvestigation into the
| causes of what were once looked upon
as lust common rot such as we have
always had
Just rot may be as old as time,
| but no matter how aged it be it must
not simply on that account escape re-
examination in the light of the new
truths made known in recent times
through the Investigations of scientific
men. We must beware of thinking that
because a thing always has been it
therefore always will be.
I am wholly unprepared at the pres
ent time to give anything like complete
| observations on Hawaiian crop blights.
can give only a few notes on some
Of them. One of my objects will be to
call attention to the way in which
anyone so disposed may assist in the
work of collecting information on this
| subject.
The sending of specimens of leaves,
twigs, stems, roots or fruits of plants
suffering from any kind of blight sup
posedly of fungus origin will be most
acceptable and will add to the value
| of the investigations. Nothing that is
really a blight is too trivial for atten-
| ton. No matter how rarely or how
commonly you may have seen it, no
matter how long it may have existed
| or how new it may be, it will be of
use to have it examined. Specimens
may be easily forwarded by mail and
the results of the examination of such
specimens will be communicated either
at once or in the form of a printed
report to be circulated in the Terri
tory.
The forwarding of specimens by post
is usually an easy matter. 1t is only
necessary to enclose the specimens in
a tin or wooden case such that the
specimens may be fully protected from
the handling to which ordinary postal
matter is subjected.
The most important point is that the
specimens arrive in the freshest pos
sible condition. To this end they
should be gathered and packed shortly
before the mail leaves for Honolulu.
A few hours extra time in transit
sometimes makes a great difference in
the state of the shipment on arrival.
This matter is therefore an important
one, and fortunately, in most cases. a
little thought will make it no more
difficult to comply with this condition
than to neglect it.
If it can be done it is best to send
4T,x toll IN, s%c $50 r.
is not preserved in any fluid. In the
| case of the softest and most perish
able matter that cannot be sent except
in fluid the best way is to place the
specimens in a preservative mixture
made by adding two parts of strong
forrnaldehyde to one hundred parts of
water, or one part of strong wood al
cof1ol to two parts of water. After
placing the specimens in a bottle the
bottle should be filled full of the pre-
serving fluid so that there shall be no
bubbles after the cork is inserted. 1t
is best, unless the corking is uncom-
monty well done, to seal the cork over
with wax or paraffin.
In sending matter of this class be
careful to send all the stages that can
be mustered, from the very earliest
stages to the very latest. It is not nee
essary to send a large amount of ma
terial, but every stage possible should
be included.
Blighted leaves and twigs may be
placed loosely in a tin. The tin should
be a close one unless the material will
be several days in transit in which
case it may be advisable to puncture
the tin with a few small holes.
As rule roots should be sent with