Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1908-03-16
Longworth Trees

~ IA
AT the head of the valley we were
met by w. +. Pogue, superintendent
of the ditch, and stopped for half an
hour at Trips, the ditch house. Here
there are some rubber trees growing
which were planted by the Long
worth party some months ago. They
are growing finely and look very
promising. Deputy Sheriff Wittrock
also pointed out to us his place as we
lode by. He has some 1000 rubber
trees growing, as sort of side line.
This is the case with many of the
residents of the district, and goes to
show the interest taken in the new
industry by everybody in the dis
trict. For the little fellows are as
enthusiastic over rubber as those
whose trees number up into the hun
dreds OF thousands.
Mounting once more after our rest
at Trips, we started up the trail,
riding, as is necessary, in single file.
From It's very beginning the road is
characterized by remarkable beauty.
Ferns grow to the height of man
on both sides of the TRAIL which
winds in and out tortuously. The
guavas are almost forest trees in
size. Bananas grow wild in incred-
ible profusion. Ohias intertwine
their twisted branches overhead; the
stiff. strange lauhala with its point
ed leaves Is everywhere.
But as we went up, and all along
the trail at intervals, we noticed that
the ohias were dying off In patches.
Sometimes there would be one or two
saunt, twisted skeletons from which
life had fed; sometimes acres would
be covered with the desolation of
dead trees. II Is a lamentable fact
that some fungus has attacked the
ohias along the slopes of Haleakala
and they are disappearing with
alarming rapidity. Just what the
fungus is nobody appears to know,
but. unless something is done very
soon to crush out the disease, meal
Culable damage will be done. For
the disappearance of the forest
means the cutting of OF the water
supply. In Hawaii more even than
in other countries, trees mean water.
And without water the valleys below
would be arid wastes An expert
should be sent up into the forests.
no matter at what cost, Immediately
to make an Investigation and try to
discover remedy for the disease
which is causing the damage.
There are some in Hawaii, Il Is
claimed, who have tried to discour-
age tourists from making the Maui
trip this way by representing that
the ditch trail is dangerous. With
mountain hprses used to narrow
trails, such I, claims are ridiculous.
Naturally a nervous person may not
be blamed for shrinking little
when he first looks over the side and
sees the bottom of the gulch thou
sand feet and more below him and
realizes that misstep might send
aim and his mount rafting down
the steep sides. But there is little
danger of afy such misstep, and the
grandeur Of the scene more than
compensates for dangers many times
as great.
In coming from Keanae one passes
around the head of several gulches,
all OF them exceptionally beautiful.
But none of the others can compare
| with Honomanu Gulch for depth,
or natural beauty. From an elevaZ
ton OF nearly 1900 feet the traveller
looks down into narrow valley
coming to a point at the trail and
opening out, wedge-like toward the
sea, which, blue as only the Pacific
In this part Of the world can be
blue, extends to the curving horizon.
Al some place man could jump
IRON the parapet which edges the
outer side of the trail and hardly
touch anything until he landed in
the bottom over thousand feet be-
low. At other places the sides are
more slipping. but nowhere is there
incline enough to stop an object once
started down. unless 1t should hap
pen to lodge against some of the
banana trees which grow in endless
profusion along the way from top to
bottom of the gulch.
Everywhere are ferns, colossal in
size' covering the sides of the gulch
so thickly that far down they look
like a carpet of delicate green.
And on toward the sea are palms.
marking the location OF homesteads
where the inhabitants of the valley
live In the midst of scene that
would drive an artist to despair.
Over this trail we wound our way,
meeting nobody all the way. The
party early split in two, the mules
ridden by Campbell and Mott-Smith
being nearly played out, which ne
CeSSitated their TRAVELLING sIou,l,,