284 



FOREST FIRES. 



During the month a grass fire was reported to have occurred 

 in North Kohala, Hawaii, in which three government pastoral 

 lands below the forest were burned over in addition to some pri- 

 vate land. The person responsible for starting the fire was ar- 

 rested and convicted and required to pay the cost of extinguish- 

 ing it. 



A rather severe forest fire, wiiich burned over several hundred 

 acres, occurred the latter part of the month on the U. S. military 

 reservation at Waianae-uka. It started several days previously 

 and was thought to have been extinguished by regular troops five 

 or six times, but burning in the roots of trees underground it 

 would break out again and, fanned by the strong wind, would 

 speedily run up the slopes covered with dry grass and ferns. Oh 

 August 311 visited the fire with the deputy fire warden and found 

 that everything possible was being done by the military to sup- 

 press the conflagration. It was finally extinguished by 2500 sol- 

 diers from Schofield Barracks who fought it with wet bags with 

 difficulty on the steep mountain slopes. 



On August 29 there was a grass fire at Maili, in the same gen- 

 eral region, which was soon extinguished by mei» from the Waia- 

 lua plantation assisted by federal troops from the reservation. 



SEED COLLECTION, 



Attention is called to the fact that all of the seed needed in 

 raising the popular tree seedlings in large quantities at the gov- 

 ernment nursery is collected locally by our own seed boys. Witii 

 some kinds of seed this means a great saving of expense. An 

 instance of this is the lemon-scented gum {Eucalyptus citriodora), 

 which formerly w^c had to buy in California for $2 per ounce. 

 During the month the seed boys cut a tree of this species on Tan- 

 talus where it was crowding other trees, and gathered from it 

 one and a half i)ounds of good seed, worth $40. 



It has been very difficult for some time to obtain good koa seed 

 on account of a weevil which almost universally seems to infest 

 all koa seed pods. As pointed out in the report of the forest 

 nurseryman, through the kindness of Mr. Frank Grcenwell we 

 have been able to secure a limited amount of koa seed from Kona 

 which will tide us over f(jr another year. 



ARBOR D.\Y. 



Mention is made liere of tlie approach of .Arbor Day, which, as 

 usual, will be celebrated some (la\' in Xovember soon to be an- 

 nomiced by the ( lovernor. The nursery on this island and the 

 sub-nurseries on Kauai and Hawaii are i)reparing for the event 

 by getting ready a large stock f>f )()ung trees for distribution, 



