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million dollars to plant by human agency the 80,000 odd acres 

 in these islands which have been covered with more or less density 

 by algaroba forests. And this wonderful and comparatively 

 rapid spread of the tree has been accomplished without the ex- 

 penditure of one cent for planting. 



The algaroba, moreover, has been spread mainly on the barren 

 lowlands, although it has gradually been working up the valleys 

 and slopes until it is now found well established at elevations 

 1800 feet above the sea. Although the tree will grow "with its 

 toes in the sea," its foliage is somewhat sensitive to the salt air 

 when blow in by the strong trades. The tree has a long tap 

 root which is sent down to great depths in search of water and 

 which enables it to become independent of the surface water 

 supply. We find the tree, therefore, mostly on the dry leeward 

 sides of the islands on the lowlands which, fortunately, makes the 

 algaroba forests most accessible for the gathering of their prod- 

 ucts. The tree, also, has the ability to sprout freely from the 

 stump, making possible successive crops of wood without re- 

 planting. 



The algaroba in Hawaii seems to excel in growth the tree in its 

 original habitat. In Arizona, trees 7^ years old are from 10 to 

 12 inches in diameter, and near Tucson trees measure 3 feet in 

 diameter at the ground and 50 feet in height. On the Punahou 

 grounds a tree not yet 70 years old measures 41 inches in dia- 

 meter at breast height and 85 feet in height, while trees on the 

 Dillingham place, which are 50 years old, average over 2 feet in 

 diameter. The tree in these islands is a comparatively rapid 

 grower, and takes hold of waste land in a surprising manner. It 

 has few natural enemies; the caterpillars of two introduced and 

 very common moths affect the bloom and occasionally reduce the 

 size of the bean crop, and the grubs of four beetles bore into the 

 sapwood of dead or felled trees. 



The uses of the tree, in addition to being a forest cover for 

 waste land, are too well known to need much elaboration here. 

 The following, however, are some of the main products of the 

 algaroba and the chief uses to which it is put in Hawaii : 



Wood for fuel, charcoal, timbers, and posts. 



Pods for fodder in their natural state and crushed into meal. 



Blossoms for bee pasturage. 



Trees for reclamation of waste land, ornament, and shade. 



Young trees for hedges. 



The wood of the algaroba is a dark reddish brown in the heart, 

 is as heavy as and harder than ash, elm, or white oak, but not so 

 strong or elastic. For fuel it is equal, cord to cord, to hickory or 

 white oak. Its durability is highly in its favor, and the heart- 

 wood used as fence and foundation posts will last in the ground 

 for a great many years. The sap wood is a clear yellow and is 

 apt to be riddled by borers if not used soon after cutting. The 



