The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1918-04-05
WANT kAHOOLAWE
:. ORCATTLE RANGE
Effort To Be Made To Have Isl
and Turned Over For Grazing;
W.. Would Solve Beef Problem

With the expected transfer Of the
island of Kahoolawe back to the gov.
ernment from the hands of the board
of agriculture and forestry, today, an
effort will be made on the part Of per.
sons interested In the cattle situation
to have the island placed in the hands
Of the land board for the purpose Of
devoting II to grazing. -. -
The undertaking viii be an out
growth Of q campaign which was
started by the territorial food com.
mission to have lands Of the forest
service turned over to cattle raising
and win follow a suggestion made by
DR.. Arthur L. Dean, president Of the
College Of Hawaii, and former exeeu-
tive Of the food commission, in the
same interest.
1t Il believed that the members Of
the land board win, If the island is
transferred to them, be more inclined
to take steps to have IL put to use as
a cattle range, from which service IL
was withdrawn when the board of ag.
riculture and forestry undertook to
make Of 1t n forest nursery. This, on
account Of the heavy winds and the
nature of the soil, has never been ac-
Complished, but 1t is said that the isl
and produces cattle feed that is unex-
celled and can, with small outlay, be
equipped with reservoir and tanks
for watering cattle.
Oan Produce Beef
Eben Low, who was formerly inter
ested in sheep raising on the island,
said yesterday that 1000 head of cattle
az hn R0son1 ha 81 L.
round, and that at the present time
there Is q growth Of kiawe beans on
the island which is going to waste and
which is excellent COW feed.
"At the, time that the territorial
commission urged upon the forestry
board the necessity of throwing open
certain government lands for cattle
grazing, this island was particularly
recommended and was especially urged
by Doctor Dean" Mr.. Low said yes.
terday. Gas forest reserve the isl
and has been a failure, and at the
time this recommendation was made
there was need Of more range, as there
is now. The board was indifferent in
the matter, however. A product of
beef which might have done much to
relieve. present fears on this point
would have been available now, if
any action had been taken"
Trees Won't Grow
The top of the island is completely
denuded of vegetation and is so wind
swept that it has been found to be
impossible to turn it into forest. The
island contains $4,000 acres, and, while
it has no streams, is so formed that
the runof water could easily be held
in reservoirs. Tanks for n thousand
cattle, it is argued, would not have
TO be extensive.
u Attempts which were made to grow
trees on the island resulted disastrous,
ly and have proved that it cannot be
utilized for this purpose. Out of 372
ironwood and eucalyptus trees set out
only thirty-two lived. The heavy
winds accounted for all of the euca.
lyptus trees and most of the ironwood
Eben Low, who made an attempt tc
raise trees on the island previous tc
the government, had no better success
Several trees which he planted foul
years ago are now, he says, only eight
feet high.
| Spineless Cactus
derrit p. lWilder,l Valentine Holt
and Mr.. Low have successfully start
ed spineless cactus on the island, which
is fine cattle feed. Their method OF
doing this was to graft the spinelesl
variety on the ones that grow in pro
fusion on the island, with the result
that they now have a plant which har
the spineless leaves at the top anC
the spines at the base, which are in
tended to prevent the cattle from de
stroying the plants. The spineles
cactus was brought by Mr.. Wilde
from the United States experimental
station.
The meeting to discuss the fate O
Kahoolawe Island will be held at min,
o clock this morning at the governmen
| nursery on King Street