Econcnnic Woods of Hawaii 703 



pinnate foliage. The first seed was brought from Mexico in 1837 

 by Father Bachelot, founder of the Roman Catholic Mission. The 

 nutritious pods are relished by live stock, and cattle have been 

 largely responsible for the wide dissemination of the tree on the 

 ranchlands and lowland plains. There are now over 60,000 acres 

 of mesquite or algaroba forest in the islands. Land formerly 

 considered worthless has been transformed by this valuable tree 

 into useful pasture land. The tree — called kiawe by the natives — 

 bears profuse crops of yellow, nutritious pods. These mature 

 during the summer months, and are harvested as a regular crop. 

 The pods are picked up from beneath the trees, and placed in gunny 

 sacks for transportation and storage. The pod is filled with a 

 sweet gummy pulp, which surrounds the small, exceedingly hard 

 seeds. The seeds, like those of all legumes, contain a high per- 

 centage of valuable food materials, but are so hard-walled that 

 cattle cannot crack them. A milling device was perfected in 

 Honolxilu a few years ago, by means of which the pods and seeds 

 are thoroughly crushed and macerated, and reduced to a readily 

 digestible condition. This is sold as "algaroba bean meal" and 

 is mixed with other less concentrated feeding stuffs. It is an im- 

 portant local product. 



The flowers are fragrant and very nectiferous, and constitute 

 an important honey supply. The kiawe bee pasturage is reckoned 

 as of the finest quality, and due to the prolonged flowering period, 

 yields unusually large quantities of honey. Apiaries have been 

 established throughout the kiawe belt on all the islands, but notably 

 on Oahu and Molokai. The latter island is reputed to be one of 

 the greatest honey-exporting districts in the world. Kiawe honey 

 is very sweet, and of excellent keeping qualities. 



The wood is dark reddish brown, with yellow sapwood; rather 

 coarse grained, and very crooked and irregular. It is never sawn 

 into boards, because of these distinctive irregularities, but is used 

 for fence posts, and chiefly for firewood. It is the common fuel 

 wood of Honolulu, and commands high prices. Owing to the 

 ravages of an exotic locust borer, the kiawe' s usefulness for fence 

 posts has been seriously impaired. The kiawe is commonly used 

 as a shade tree, in Honolulu as well as in the country districts. 

 When botmtifully irrigated it assumes stately proportions, ascends 

 to a height of sixty or eighty feet, and rivals in beauty and dignity 

 the elms of England and the Eastern States. 



