251 



main islands is sufficient to handle the routine work of for- 

 est protection combined with tree-planting work. They op- 

 erate under Rule II of this division, which was passed in 

 April, 1916, and which satisfactorily provides for the efficient 

 preservation and administration of the forest reserves. 



The only forest fire which occurred during the year was on 

 the Military Reservation at Waianae-uka, on the Koolau range, 

 where on June 25, 1917, about 50 acres of grass land with some 

 patches of forest were burned over. This fire was promptly 

 extinguished the same day by two troops of cavalry and 90 pris- 

 oners of war. 



Two new forest reserves were set apart by official proclama- 

 tion during the year, the Round Top Reserve, consisting of 115 

 acres of government land back of Honolulu, Oahu, adjacent to 

 the existing Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve, and the Pa- 

 naewa Forest Reserve, consisting of 1750 acres of government 

 land, in Waiakea, Hawaii, four miles out of Hilo and along the 

 road leading to the volcano of Kilauea. This brings the total 

 number of forest reserves in the Territory up to 40, with a total 

 acreage of 800,094 acres. 



The planting of trees in the Territory has continued on an 

 increased scale, for the people are alive to the fact that water- 

 producing mountains and waste land should properly be devoted 

 to this purpose. During the past calendar year 660,079 trees 

 were raised and distributed from the government nurseries for 

 general planting throughout the Islands, and during this same 

 period 925,400 trees were planted by both the government and 

 private parties. Of this number 43 per cent was planted for 

 water conservation, 3S per cent for fuel, 16 per cent for wind- 

 break and 6 per cent for timber and ornament. The tree-planting 

 activity of this division has been centered on water-producing 

 areas back of Honolulu, on Oahu, and on two similar areas on 

 Kauai. Considerable progress has also been made in the intro- 

 duction and establishment of trees from other tropical countries, 

 such as Australia and India, which will be suitable for the pur- 

 poses of watershed cover and for timber production. An inten- 

 sive experiment to determine the growing qualities and value of 

 many introduced species has been started at the Manoa Ranger 

 Station, where 50 different kinds of trees have been planted in 

 varying amounts. On Arbor Day 20.979 trees were distributed 

 for general planting throughout the Territory. 



Entomology. 



The work performed by the Chief Plant Inspector and his as- 

 sistants during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1917, consisted of 

 the inspection of all fruits, vegetables and plants coming into the 

 Territory from foreign countries and the mainland of the United 

 States, to prevent the introduction of pests and plant diseases 

 liable to become injurious to the various agricultural industries 



