THE JHAWAIIAN 



FORESTER I AGRICULTURIST 



Vol. XI. . JUNE, 1914. No. 6 



CIRCULAR GIVES FOREST FACTS. 



Striking' facts regarding our forest resources, their value and 

 their waste, are condensed in an eight-page illustrated circular of 

 the American forestry association just issued. The lumber in- 

 dustry is said to employ 735,000 people, to whom are paid annually 

 $367,000,000 in wages, the worth of products being $1,250,000,- 

 000. The forests of the country cover 550,000,000 acres. 



An average of 70 human lives are sacrificed anually in forest 

 fires, says the circular, and a loss occurs of $25,000,000. Damage 

 from insects and tree diseases, which follow fire, costs each year 

 $50,000,000. The cost of destruction resulting from floods is not 

 estimated, but is given as "countless millions." 



But the circular expresses hope more than pessimism. As well 

 as the colored pictures showing the forest fire, the efi^ects of the 

 fire, and the damage caused by floods, it shows also forests planted 

 and grown under intensive management, and the national forest 

 ranger scouting for fires on the mountain lookout station. The 

 effective patrol here referred to has reduced "forest fire losses to 

 as low as one-tenth of one cent an acre." It is pointed out that 

 by planting forests an annual income could be derived in the 

 country of $65,000,000; and by preservative treatment upon 

 timber each year $100,000,000 could be saved. 



TOBACCO CULTURE. 



A bulletin is quoted by the Tropical Agriculturist (Ceylon) as 

 saying that the best quality of tobacco leaves are produced when 

 the plant grows very rapidly ; consequently an abundant and 

 readily available water supply at the right moment is an important 

 factor in the production of high class tobacco. Dry weather in 

 the early stages of plant growth would cause a considerable 

 development of the root system in search of moisture ; should 

 this be followed by rains — about a month after planting out — 

 optimum conditions should then obtain for rapid growth. 



In the same magazine appears an article on the enzymes of 

 the tobacco plant, which opens with the statement : "Many chemi- 

 cal changes take place in the tobacco plant throughout its growth 



