The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-11-11
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
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tary roadway could not be construct
ed, | remember that rancher a
short distance down the river bought
the redwood boards and used them to
fence in several acres of alfalfa. They
were in as perfect state of preserva-
ton as when first laid down
As to the guilt or innocence of the
banana as habitat or breeding place
for mosquitoes, I am only able to
Judge from my own experience while
cultivating that plant for the past fiji
teen years on my own place, which is
a sun-baked slope of black sand. vol
canic ash and tufa.
| have grown the Brazilian variety
mostly (often enormously referred to
as the apple banana'D, but have also
grown varieties known as the pineap-
pie. the red banana of Mauritius, ice
cream banana, apple, many rare Ha-
waiian bananas, and one foreign plan
tain. with unusually large fruit, for
cooking. AS l looked after them per
sonally, employing no help, they were
necessarily under my constant super
visions
In not one instance have ! found
mosquitoes or their larvae in any OF
the bananas mentioned when stripping
their stalks or telling them to get the
lunches For the major part Of the
year, however, they were literally
alive with ants and ] have occasion
ally found the mealy bug breeding I'M
der stalks and numerous small ash
colored moths ensconced under the
Nominations of the stalks. On several
occasions I have found a peculiar
snail, ranging in length from three to
nearly seven inches in length and APP
p1oximately three-sixteenths of an
inch in diameter, rolled up in tang
led ball within the stalk. One of
these ! once sent to the experiment
station, but did not learn how to class
il. The little lizards, to which Pro
fessor Brigham has called attention
in his able and fearless defense of
the banana, were always numerous
among my trees, and as day closed 1t
was interesting to watch them run
along the leaves and to note the pre-
cision with which they secured the
moths and other flying insects. A few
weeks ago l secured one with twin
tails when cutting down splendid
Brazilian and sent the queer little
thing to Horticulturalist Higgins.
, l have no intention in writing the
above to reflect upon the veracity OF
those citizens who have claimed that
they have found mosquitoes and wrig
glers in their trees. But, if the ba
mana is such a criminal in this'par
ticular, why did his pernicious activity
SO suddenly cease during the effective
Larnach crusade under DR.. Coopers
administration? At that time I often
slept without a net, yet my home was
close to a banana grove of over one
hundred plants.
, 1t has been stated locally that the
mosquito makes but a short flight
yet the Star, as reference to its files
will show, reprinted an article by a
mainland physician, engaged in mos
quito warfare on the Atlantic coast
declaring most positively that it had
been proved that mosquitoes Travelled
over distance of rorty, miles. AS
nearly as | can remember, the article
appeared about year ago
About the same time the Saturday
Evening Post published an excellent
paper on mosquito warfare, in the
course of which was related the at
tempt of certain sanitarians to drain
. and abolish a mill-pond, owing to com
/ plants that were made about its be
ing a favorite breeding place for mos
quitoes. The owner denied this am
resisted. BY a lucky accident the rea
source of the pest was discovered and
the mill owner saved from ruin.
Another statement made on the
authority of local mosquito experts is
that mosquitoes do not propagate il
brackish water.
A few years ago a manufacturing