The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-11-19
Second Days Session Given Up
to Committee Reports and
Discussion.
THE VALUE OF TREE PLANTING
Forester Hosmer Reads Paper,
Telling of What Has Been
Done Past Year.
cFrom Wednesdays AdvertIserl

The necessity of preserving the exist
ing forests of Hawaii and of planting
new ones in order to preserve the water
supply so essential to the successful
operation of the sugar plantations was
brought out and thoroughly discussed
at the sugar planters meeting yester-
day afternoon. b. f. Dillingham;, chair
man of the committee on forestry, was
not present and consequently no report
of the committee has as yet been pre-
sented, but Ralph Hosmer, territorial
superintendent of forestry, read paper
in which he told of what has been ac-
complished during the past year and
outlined TO some extent the plans that
have been made for the encouragement
and extension of tree planting in Ha-
waii. Mr.. Hosmer said in part:
"During the past year the chain of
established forest reserves has been ex-
tended bv the addition of two new
reserves on Kauai, making the reserve
system on that island complete so far
as the preliminary stages of formal
declaration go-with the possible ex-
ception of the privately owned noun
tain ridge, crowned by the peak known
as Houpu, that lies to the south OF
Lihue. The upper slopes of Mauna kea
ON Hawaii have also been set apart as
n reserve to facilitate the forest plant
inc experiments on that mountain, now
in satisfactory progress under funds
provided by the federal forest service
This reserve differs in character from
all but one of those previously created,
in that its object is not watershed pro
lection but timber production. 1t wall
be some years before results can be oo'
tanned from the forest planting that IS
planned for the upper slopes but the
work has at least been started. Al
together there are now twenty forest
reserves in Hawaii, aggregatlng totai
area of 545,764 acres, of which 35I,lsV
acres, or 65 per cent, is government
land
srFollowing the coming of Hon. F.
II. Newell, just year ago now, ana
his mastery report on our local condl'
tions. actual field work was started IN
the summer by officials of the U. >.
Geological Survey in photographic and
Topographic surveys of the Islands.
sGThe avowed intention of the terri
fOTlal administration III HiNooAHS
work is that it may serve, later, as the
basis for extensive proiects-preferably
conducted under the Federal Reclama
tion Service - whereby considerable
areas of potentially valuable public
land. now semiarid and unproductive
can, through irrigation, eventually b'
made available for development an'
settlement by American home seekers.
Tree Planting.
"Another line of marked advance
during the past year is the increasing
interest in tree planting throughout th'
Territory. l have not now at han'
.Igures showing just what the numbe
planted is, but l am confident tina
when the record is made up it vii
snow large increase for 1909 over an.
previous season in the number OF tree
set out In this statement / have par
ticularly in mind the work that is be
ing done by the sugar plantation com
panies and leading stock ranches, Du
the interest is not confined TO the larg
landowners. This year the division a
forestry made a special point of givlni
away free trees ON Arbor Day (Noyem
ber l2) TO homesteaders, kuleana an
other landowners. Practically 5000
trees were distributed from the govern
ment nursery in Honolulu, besides
number of thousand more-the report
are not yet in hand-from substatior
ON the other islands, The plan of ha'
ing local subnurseries is new one tn
year, As soon as funds are ayailab
ii will be vigorously followed up.
ought to lead to "A decided increase
the number of trees planted, whic
should result in turn in the improve
appearance of many districts.
Proposed Study OF Planted Euealyptu
"Of no small interest to plantatio
men should be an investigation abOl
10 be undertaken by the division
forestry in cooperation with the Unite
States forest seryice-a study OF Il
planted groves Of eucalyptus IN Hawa
lnere are throughout the Perntol
many groves Of commercially Yaluub
eucalyptus OF varying size and ag
The plan is 90 visit these groves al
make careful measurements of I
trees, with notes un their history al
development, From these data II "
Doe possible 10 compile tables shuWi
what one Who plants eucalyptus m
expect, after HNou times in the 81
~ wood po-isi tesi poles ana timber,
Hlt Nlll, ] hrlleAp. also be pussll
on tho huns Of lAe present value
surh products, 30 demonstrate Prot
aseaTaioly that eucalyptus planting
Hawai- ir uut ouly d good Using pul
decidedly profitable Investment
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