34 



THE BIENNIAL REPORT. 



(From the Pacific Commercial Advertiser.) 



There has just come from the press the biennial report of the 

 Board of Commissioners of Agriculture and Forestry for 1911 

 and 1912. It is a book of 258 pages, illustrated by thirty-six full- 

 page illustrations, and covers in detail the activities of the three 

 divisions of the board during the past two years. 



First is the report of the commissioners — Messrs. W. M. Gif- 

 fard. H. M. von Holt, J. M. Dowsett, Albert Waterhouse and 

 Arthur H. Rice. This gives, under the heading of each division, 

 a brief review of the salient points in the work accomplished in en- 

 tomology, forestry and animal industry, with a summary for each 

 division of the especial needs for the future. The report of the 

 commissioners, having been issued separately a short time ago, in 

 advance of the full report, has already been reviewed in these col- 

 umns, but it may be said here that in its twenty pages are sum- 

 marized the facts set forth more at length by the several superin- 

 tendents. 



Following the report of the commissioners are tables showing 

 expenditures and a paper presented by W. M. Gififard to the 

 joint committee on forestry of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' As- 

 sociation and the Board of Agriculture and Forestry, entitled 

 "Some Observations on Hawaiian Forests and Forest Cover in 

 Their Relation to Water Supply," a comprehensive statement of 

 the underlying reasons why our local watersheds should be well 

 protected. 



DIVISION OF FORESTRY. 



The section allotted to the Division of Forestry consists of re- 

 ports by the superintendent of forestry, Ralph S. Hosmer ; the 

 forest nurseryman, David Haughs, and the consulting botanist. 

 Prof. J. F. Rock. 



Mr. Hosmer briefly outlines the reasons for ])ractising forestry 

 in 1 lawaii and argues for the better j^rotcction of the forests on 

 the watersheds, especially through fencing, that they may be made 

 more surely to produce their most important crop, water. During 

 the past two years four new forest reserves were set apart in 

 South Kona, and iaPuna, Hawaii, on Molokai. and in Kula, iMaui. 

 There arc now twenty-seven forest reserves in the Territory with a 

 total area of 683,101 acres, of which sixty-seven per cent., 4.^4.810 

 acres, is government land. 



Passing to the second main line of forest work, the encourage- 

 ment of tree planting, it is shown that in the past two years more 

 seedling trees than ever before were distributed from the Division 

 of Forestry nurseries at Honolulu and the sub-stations at Hilo, 



