39 



the situation too windy, the soil too poor, or for other reasons, 

 but which can support a good forest. The trees may be made 

 frequently to serve as a windbreak to the main crop. In addi- 

 tion to these small, scattered areas there is always some land on 

 the edge of the plantation, frequently on the mauka or upper 

 edge, which can not be used for growing the main crop because 

 it is too high for irrigation or because the product can not be 

 brought down at a profit, which is now lying idle, but which can 

 be made to grow the annual fuel supply of the plantation. On 

 the more extensive belts perhaps a few head of cattle graze now, 

 but the land can probably be used to better advantage by grow- 

 ing forest trees. A wise plantation management will utilize 

 every square foot of ground to the best advantage, and so, while 

 it is not expected that land fit for sugar or pineapples, or for 

 growing agricultural crops, will be planted to trees, land not 

 suitable for any more useful purpose should be covered with 

 forest. To be of the greatest value all such planting should be 

 systematically planned and carried out. 



Two general schemes of forest management are open to the 

 plantation. 



1. If the plantation desires to raise its own supply of fuel 

 but does not care to raise forests of large trees for lumber, ties, 

 or dimension timber, the following plan may be adopted : Figure 

 out the annual demand for firewood and plant an area suffi- 

 ciently large so that the required quantity of wood may be cut in 

 successive areas, returning to the first area when the ratoon crop 

 on that area is large enough to be cut a second time. To take 

 a specific case : Suppose the demand for firewood on the plan- 

 tation is 1,000 cords per year, that it takes eight years to grow 

 a crop of 22 cords to the acre, and that successive ratoon crops 

 may be cut at the end of every eight years. In this case it would 

 take about 45 acres of forest to supply the annual demand for 

 firewood. Since it takes eight years for the ratoon crop to grow 

 to sufficient size to be cut again, an area of 8 times 45 acres, or 

 360 acres, will have to be planted. If, now, 45 acres are cut every 

 year, the entire area of 360 acres will be cut over in eight years, 

 but at the end of that time a second crop may be obtained from 

 the 45 acres cut the first year. The next year it will be possible 

 to cut again the portion of the forest which was cut the second 

 year, and so on successively until the entire tract is cut over a 

 second time, when the first area can be cut a third time, and the 

 operation thus repeated many times, provided care is taken to 

 cut the forest at the proper time of the year (from November to 

 March), and provided the stumps are left in a good condition to 



