IXTRODrCED PLANTS AND ANIJIALS. 281 



known to the older Ilawaiians, being' used by them in making rope. Also New 

 Zealand hemp-' has been grown in a limited way. 



As a fiber plant I'ltlaiid eottonj" or Sea Island cotton" now bids fair 

 to outstrip any of those mentioned. Unfortunately, it has been held in 

 cheek owing to attack.s of the boll worm. Cotton of cultivated varieties vi^as 

 introduced into the islands long ago. A sample of the fiber grown here was 

 sent to China by Kamehameha the Great. The plant in this latitude is a 

 perennial. Several varieties have been experimentally grown from time to 

 time, among them being Sea Island, Georgia, Peruvia and Caravonica, and 

 a numljer of other strains that have received experimental attention at the hands 

 of Professor P. G. Krauss and his associates. Although the revived industry is 

 hardly beyond the experimental stage, it is reassuring to know that the fiber 

 was an article of export from Hawaii during the Civil War. 



The cotton fiber is distinguished from all others by the peculiar twist that 

 it possesses. This twist makes it very valuable in spinning, and it has long 

 been employed in the manufacture of cloth. Its use is spoken of by the 

 earliest writers, and the plant was long described as a natural wonder under 

 the name of the "lamb tree." The cotton of commerce is the product of several 

 species of the genus Gossypiitm, belonging to the order Malvacea', to which 

 also belong the hollyhock and Hibiscus, the flowers being very much alike. 

 There are fifty or more species of cotton. In fact, one,'^ a shrub with sulphur- 

 colored flowers and having very short, brown fibers about the seed, is found 

 growing in a wild state in the Hawaiian group in dry situations near the sea- 

 shore. It is known to the natives as mao, and can be separated easily from 

 the small tree-like species called kokio,^'' which has brick-red flowers. The 

 cotton plant jiroduces varieties that i'eadil\' and rapidly adapt themselves to 

 new conditions. Single trees are common in Hawaii that are twenty feet or 

 more in height. 



Rubber. 



The cultivation of rubber is among the newer industries that promise well 

 in the islands. Several species of rubber-producing plants are well estab- 

 lished in various places on the principal islands, and other species are in 

 process of introduction. 



One of tlie oldest, if not the oldest grove of rubber trees, is a small plant- 

 ing of tlie Ceara species, ^* located at Koloa, on Kauai. It was planted in 

 1893, and from it a grove was planted at Lihue in 1899. Experimental tap- 

 ping, under the direction of the Federal Experiment Station, has given a yield 

 of fifteen pounds of rubber per annum from the thirteen-year-old trees, and it 

 is expected that this can be materially increased by proper care, cultivation 

 and improved methods of tapping. The seeds are curious in that they have 

 a thick, hard coating and often rerpiire some months for them to germi- 



