The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-07-08

7
cutting Of honohono grass Wandering
jew on the slopes of Tantalus. Mr.
/ Isenberg stated that this grass is on
ly just getting good start and that
, it should be let alone until is well
established. The honohono grass, he
said, will not catch fire, and it. will
in time not only preserve the moisture
i IN the ground, but viii prevent con-
| fagrations on the mountain The Jap
| anese and Portuguese, he said, have
| been cutting it and carrying it away
i by wagon loads.
Smyrna Figs in Hawaii.
Bugs formed the most fruitful sub
! iect for discussion during the meeting
! of the Board. Mr.. Kotinsky mention
/ ed another beneficial insect from which
! much is hoped for the good of the
| Territory. This is the Blastophaga,
the wasp the presence of which is
/ necessary for the production of Smyr-
ma figs. This little insect was import
! ed into California some years ago
! from Asia Minor and was the main
, cause of the great success that has
been experienced in that state in the
growing IF figs.
, Unlike the commoner varieties, the
! SMYRNA fig is not capable of produc-
/ ton alone. It needs the presence of
the Capri fig, which though not fit for
eating, yet produces the pollen to fer
tilize the Smyrna. But this pollen can
not be transferred from one plant to
the other except through the activ-
tiles of the BlSstophaga, an insect
which lives in the Capri fig but lays
its eggs in the Smyrna fig. Going
from one plant to the other. it carries
with it the pollen, which fertilizes the
female or Smyrna fig and causes it to
reach maturity. Otherwise it falls off
young.
A colony of the Blastophaga was
brought to Hawaii from California,
though the good offices of w. 7. Swim
gle, of the Department of Agriculture
at Washington. Mr.. Kotinsky said that
Yesterday he found a number of speci-
mems of the fig fertilizing insect in
the fig trees of the city and believed
that they are doing well here.
The Federal department, he said, has
established fig orchard at LOOMS,
California, where both Capri and Smyr-
! ma figs are being grown for distribu-
ton. ANY citizen who wishes can get
cuttings of the Capri fig and seedlings
of the Smyrna by making application.
A circular on fig growing and blank
application for trees can be obtained
from Mr.. swingle.
Reclamation Wanted.
Forester Hosmer and l.. G. Black
man will represent the Territory at
the Seventeenth National Irrigation
Congress to be held at Spokane, Wash
ingfon, August to IA. A strong eff
fort win be made by Hawaii's repre-
sentatives to have resolution adopt
ed by the Congress, recommending the
i extension to Hawaii of the work of
the Reclamation Service. With this in
view, Marston Campbell stated that
he had. written, asking that Mr.. Hos
mer be given prominent place on the
program. Mr.. Blackman will also do
all he can to aid Hawaii at the Con-
gress Forester Hosmer has been
granted leave of absence to attend the
meetings of the Congress, the Board
approving this action taken by Mr..
| Campbell.
The usual routine work was trans
! acted by the Board. Those present
were Executive Officer Marston Camp
bell, Paul Isenberg, Forester Ralph
Hosmer. H. NJ. Won Holt and Entomo-
logist Jacob Kotinsky, Mr.. Dowsett
and Mr.. Waterhouse being absent
Mr. Campbell, reporting for the Fl
nance Committee, stated that the Board
is working along on the enabling act
until the end of July, when the COM
mittee will meet and apportion the
funds to be derived from the Con-
servation Act.
! Mr.. Campbell stated that c. S. Jodd,
formerly with the Department of Agri-
culture of the United States, has been
! secured as an assistant to Forester
Hosmer, at a salary of $1400, and will
arrive here from Portland, Oregon,
shortly.
The Executive Officer also reported
| for Dr.. Norgaard that all the material
for the quarantine station has been
purchased and that the building will
be finished aud ready to turn over to
the Board within two weeks.
Forester Hosmer submitted a full
report of this work The report in
large part was as follows:
New Forest Reserves.
On June 9TH Governor Frear signed
procIamations creating four forest re-
serves of which mention was made in
my report for May, the Mauna Kea
Forest Reserve on Hawaii. the Waihou
Spring Forest Reserve on Maui, and
the Lihue-Koloa and Moloaa Forest Re
serves on Kauai, altogether an area
of LOLA acres of which 50 per cent
is government land There are now 20
forest reserves in Hawaii, with an ag-
gregate total area of 545.764 acres. Of
which 50 per cent or 357, $50 acres be-
longs to the Territory.
During the month progress has been
made in the matter of the setting apart
of additional forest lands in the Ko.
hala District of Hawaii A map has
recently been completed by Mr.. S. NJ
kanakanui of the Survey office show
ing boundaries of the section proposed
to be reserved and the areas of indi-
vidual lands therein. This map will
be of particular suse in helping to af-
feet satisfactory settlement with the
owners of private land within the pro-
posed reserve.