208 DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS. 



the Secretary of Agriculture and independent of existing local insti- 

 tutions. As the station already maintained by the Hawaiian Sugar 

 Planters' Association will continue its work on problems relating to 

 the sugar industry, it was recommended that the station to be estab- 

 lished by this Department give its attention to other agricultural 

 interests. It was pointed out that among the subjects to which the 

 station should give special attention were the culture of fruit, vege- 

 tables, rice, forage crops, stock raising, dairying, coffee growing, irri- 

 gation, and forestry. 



As the headquarters for the station, it was recommended that the 

 reservation which the Hawaiian government had surveyed and mapped 

 in 1893 for an experimental and forestr}^ station be secured. This 

 is a tract of 222 acres near Honolulu, known as Kewalo-uka, with 

 an elevation ranging from 50 to 1,000 feet, and containing cleared and 

 forest land. 



On the basis of this report, a second approi)riation of $12,000 was 

 made for the maintenance of an experiment station in Hawaii during 

 the current fiscal year. Immediately on the passage of this appro- 

 priation act, which showed the determination of Congress to put the 

 project of an experiment station in Hawaii on a iDermanent basis, 

 Mr. Jared G. Smith, chief of the Section of Seed and Plant Introduc- 

 tion of this Department, was transferred to this Office and appointed 

 special agent in charge of the Hawaii Experiment Station. He left 

 Washington near the end of March and proceeded without delay to 

 Honolulu, with instructions to establish headquarters there and to 

 begin the organization of regular experiment station work in Hawaii. 

 As a site for the station, he was to secure j)ossession of the tract of 

 land in Honolulu known as Kewalo-uka, and on this to begin the 

 clearing and fencing of land and the erection of buildings. In mak- 

 ing iilans for experimental work, he was instructed "to consider espe- 

 cially the needs of the peoi)le of the Hawaiian Islands as regards the 

 production of food supjilies for home consumption, and the develop- 

 ment of animal industry, dairying, and coffee culture, and to extend 

 aid to the x^eople of the different localities throughout the islands for 

 the improvement and development of local agricultural industries 

 through the distribution of seeds, plants, and publications, the giving 

 of advice by correspondence and otherwise, and the institution of 

 cooperative exj)eriments." He was urged to enlist the cordial sup- 

 port and sympathy of the Hawaiian government and peojjle in this 

 enterprise, and he was to announce that it would be the jiolicy of the 

 Department "to encourage the granting of financial assistance to the 

 station by the Hawaiian government, as in the case of the other 

 States and Territories, where the National funds have been largel}^ 

 supplemented by local grants of money for buildings, equipment, and 

 current exj)enses of the station." 



On examination of the records of the Hawaiian government before 

 the annexation of this Territorj^ to the United States, it was found 

 that while there were evidences of the intention of that government 

 to reserve the Kewalo-uka tract for experimental purposes, the reser- 

 vation had never actuallj'' been completed. Soon after the annexation 

 of the Territory, on recommendation of the Secretary of the Navy, 

 the President issued a proclamation (November 10, 1S99) reserving 

 20 acres, more or less, of the best agricultural land on this tract as a 

 site for a naval hospital, and on recommendation of the Secretary of the 

 Treasury another resei'vation of 7 acres had been similarly nmde as a 

 site for a hospital for the Marine Hospital Service. Through the cour- 



