245 



Report of the Board of Commissioners of Agri- 

 culture and Forestry for the Fiscal 

 Year Ended June 30, 1918. 



Under the changes of reorganization made by the 1917 legis- 

 lature, the Board carried on its important activities in the inter- 

 ests of auxiliary agriculture, during the fiscal year, under the 

 following five divisions — forestry, plant inspection, entomology, 

 animal industry, and marketing. 



FORESTRY. 



In the interest of conserving an adequate and steady supply 

 of water for use in these islands where the main industries largely 

 depend upon water for irrigation, the Division of Forestry has 

 continued actively to protect the forests and extend them. 



During the year new fences on established forest reserve boun- 

 daries to keep stock from injuring the native forest have been 

 constructed at Piha, Laupahoehoe, and Olaa, on Hawaii, and at 

 I\ound Top, Hauula, and Nanakuli, on Oahu, and on Oahu exist- 

 ing fences have been repaired, rendering a total length of 9.11 

 miles of forest boundary impassable to injurious stock. 



In the administration of the forest reserves on the several 

 islands the six forest rangers have rendered efficient service in 

 preventing fire and trespass by stock and man, in fence building 

 and repairing;, in tree planting, and in their usual routine work. 

 The elimination of wild cattle from the reserves has been pressed 

 and in one forest region alone on Hawaii 30 head of wild cattle 

 have been eradicated by shooting and roping. 



The Territory has been very fortunate during the year in the 

 matter of' forest fires, in spite of a very dry summer. Only 

 three fires were reported. One small grass fire at Maili on O-ahu 

 and a small brush fire at Waikapu on Maui, did almost no dam- 

 age and were immediately extinguished. A fire at Piihonua on 

 Hawaii which broke out in August damaged the native forest on 

 50 acres but was soon put under control. 



The work of extending the forest reserve system has pro- 

 gressed during the year by creating three new reserves and add- 

 ing to the area of an existing reserve. The whole Island of 

 Kahoolawe, consisting of 28,260 acres, of non-water-producing 

 land, was also withdrawn from the forest reserve so as to return 

 it to the jurisdiction of the Land Commissioner who by law is 

 in the only position to issue a license whereby the destructive 

 goats on the island can be removed and the feed thereon utilized 



