suppress it. With the result of this undertaking still uncertain, 

 a more troublesome situation is disclosed. The weevil, it is 

 found, has escaped from one or two greenhouses in Hilo, to 

 which it was supposed to be confined, and has spread all over the 

 city, from Wainaku to Waiakea, on the fish-tail fern. It does 

 not appear feasible to eradicate it in so extensive an area, and the 

 only control measure which recommends itself at present is isola- 

 tion, which may serve to protect the forests from invasion for 

 a period. At all events, the possibility of invasion is no longer 

 remote, and it seems important to consider now what the con- 

 sequence would be should this beetle succeed in securing a firm 

 foothold in the forests. 



An examination of the Sadleria ferns in the mountains back 

 of Honolulu, where the beetle has been present for 15 years, re- 

 veals the destructive nature of the insect. The fern growth there 

 is thin, compared with that at Kilauea, yet it is impossible to find 

 a single plant that has not suffered severely from the ravages 

 of the beetle. As the attacks appear to be continuous, it seems 

 certain that the ferns, in spite of their hardiness, will eventually 

 succumb. At Kilauea, the shattered condition of the ferns was 

 more noticeable on account of the thickness of the stand. In 

 these dense forests, ferns constitute an important part of the 

 ground cover. It is to be expected that their destruction wnll be 

 followed by a train of attendant evils, such as the entrance of 

 light, drying of the ground, the invasion of weeds, etc. The sen- 

 sitiveness of the Hawaiian forests to disturbance is so well 

 known that the result can be definitely predicted — a progressive 

 debility of the trees on the edge of the invaded areas, a dying 

 back of the forest, ultimately its extinction. It w^ould seem 

 necessary, therefore, to make every effort to prevent the fern 

 weevil from gaining further access to the forests. 



Illustrations of the different stages of the fern weevil accom- 

 pany this article. 



Notes on Plant Shipments 



By E. M. Ehrhorn, CJiief Plant Inspector. 



Since the approval of Rule XX of the Division of Plant In- 

 spection, which concerns inter-island shipments of plants, fruits, 

 vegetables, sugar cane and other vegetable products, much inquiry 

 has come to the Division regarding the requirement necessary 

 for the shipment of these commodities. The public does not 

 seem to appreciate the importance and necessity for the rules and 

 regulations which the Board of Agriculture and Forestry pro- 

 mulgates. When we consider that Honolulu is the important 

 port of entry for all the islands where vessels enter from foreign 

 countries which are either bringing cargoes here for home use, 

 or which call here for bunker fuel, provisions and water while in 



