extensive use of the local banana should be heartily taken up by 

 everyone, especially in view of the fact that on account of lack 

 of shipping facilities bananas are now so plentiful in the market. 



Division of Forestry 



Honolulu, January 11, 1918. 



Board of Commissioners of Agriculture and Forestry, Honolulu. 



• 

 Gentlemen : I respectfully submit the following routine 

 report of the Division of Forestry for the month of December, 

 1917: 



TREE PLANTING. 



The planting and caring for trees on the Honolulu Watershed 

 Reserve was continued during the month and included the setting 

 out on the Makiki slopes of 250 koa trees and in the bottom of 

 the larger Makiki Valley of 1484 mahogany trees, Szvie tenia 

 uiahogani. These latter were planted 8 by 8 feet apart on an 

 area of about 2^ acres and consisted mostly of large trees 

 which had accumulated at the nursery. This experiment was 

 initiated in order to determine the suitability of this tree for 

 general planting in similar situations. 



The work on government lands in Manoa Valley consisted in 

 cleaning the rank growth of weeds and grass from around the 

 koa and other trees already planted. 



On the Kealia Reserve, Kauai, Ranger Lovell planted out 900 

 silk oak trees during the month. 



On December 3, I attended the annual session of the Hawaiian 

 Sugar Planters' Association at which the subject of the protec- 

 tion and maintenance of watershed forests was discussed. It 

 was brought out that this is a very important work and the 

 association went on record as being strongly in favor of it and 

 willing to assist and cooperate with the government in the protec- 

 tion of such forests. 



Post card requests have been sent out to all tree planters in 

 the Territory in order to ascertain the number and kinds of trees 

 planted during the year 1917 and the purpose of planting. 



FENCING. 



On account of the shortage of labor the completion of the 

 fence between Piha and Maulua, Hilo Forest Reserve, Hawaii, 

 which is being built in cooperation with the Kukaiau Ranch 

 Company, has been somewhat delayed and an extension of two 

 months on the contract, or until February 28, 1918, has been 

 grraited. 



