Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-05-13

Lecture delivered by Or. James :.
IIIingworth Of the College Of Hawaii
before the Outdoor Circle, Tuesday,
May g.
Few things add TO the attractive
ness of city more than well-cared-for
| trees. They lend a feeling that it is
a place to live; for our primal in
stincts lead US to the forest. Espe-
cially in the tropics do We need trees
for our every day comfort. They
| transform the desert places by break
ing the wind and increasing the mois-
ture content Of the atmosphere, so
that attractive gardens may be de-
veloped. .... -
What can be worse to a nature lover
than a city Of badly-kept trees = a
place where his friends have their
limbs hacked off in every conceivable
manner and their roots cramped be-
meath pavements, where they become
asphyxiated by gas from leaky mains
or die of thirst. One would almost
| prefer q treeless location, for by care
full attention it could more quickly be
! improved. -"
HonoIuIu's Trees. .---.-
The beauty and uniQueness of our
trees is often remarked by the tourists.
They are different from anything on
the mainland, and especially when in
full-bloom do We hear their praises.
However, a more intimate acquaint-
ance discloses many Of the defects
common to the trees of other cities.
And, although, We have the beneficial
effects of rapid tropical growth in the
healing of the wounds, many OF our
trees are in urgent need of atten-
ton. Ill.,"
These defects as | see them are
lack of uniformity, overcrowding, bad
location with relation to street, i'm
proper pruning, poor root treatment
and insect attacks. !
Lack of Uniformity. " T.. FL
In more recent paintings there is
evidence of uniformity. 1t is pleas
ing to see trees of one kind lining a
street as we find the mahoganys along
Kalakaua avenue. The older paintings
of the city, however, often give one
the impression of a spotted effect
everything thrown in together and
every man for himself. Cooperation
or general supervision is required as
much in the proper planting OF the
trees as in the grading Of the street
itself. Fancy the result of letting ey-
cry property owner establish the
grade that he desired in front of his
premises in place of having 1t estab-
lished by the city engineer for the
district. ..=
The engineer Is often severely cri-
ticized at the time that he is. cutting
in front of one lot and filing in front
of another, but he must wait for praise
which surely comes in future years IL
he has done his work well. -. -
overerowding. -" -.
Many of our older trees are so pack
ed in together that they are unable to
expand to their natural beauty. The
planting of widespreading trees, too
near together, is common fault since
II is hard for the inexperienced per-.
SON to realize the immense ground
space that they require-plant a mon
key pod on a small city lot and there
is no room for anything else, not even
the house when the trees has fully /
expanded.
The only alternative in the case OF
ovel crowding is the removal OF part
of the trees, using care to take out the
poorer ones until those that remain
have sufficient room to fully expand,
One naturally hesitates before cutting
out sound old trees, but If their re-
moval means the increased beauty OF
those that remain, we are justified.
BAD Location With Relation to Street,
Etc. r." -#>.
It is a charming sight to look up
street lined on either side with royal
palms, even though they are placed
near the curbing, for they require III.
tie space; but if monkey pods were
planted similarly, the width of the
street would not be sufficient for their
spreading tops in later years. II these
larger trees are to be used for streets
they should be placed within the prop /
erty line as was done on the grounds
of the Pleasanton hotel. In this way
their roots have free room to spread
without being seriously affected by
the street and the branches form a
perfect arch overhead. !
Large trees that are located in the
narrow parking between the street
and walk, seldom escape injury to
their roots, either in the grading OF
the street when the roots are cut, or
after the paving is laid by the escape
of gas from the mains into the soil,
and a lack of moisture since most OF
the surface water is drained of into
the sewers. Where trees are already
so located, we can only make the best
of it, planting better in the future. |
Bad Pruning ...........
Trees growing in nature require lit !
tie pruning foP their best development !
simply removal of the dead branch
es or parts broken by the winds, etc. !
But the trees of city perks and streets !
necessarily developing under unnatu.