1902. 



FOREvSTRY AND IRRIGATION. 



39 



is being fostered by inhabitants gen- 

 erally. 



The slopes of the mountains were bar- 

 ren, and about fifteen years ago the 

 Hawaiian Government undertook forest 

 work, and very soon the hills back of 

 Honolulu were clothed with a dense and 

 luxuriant growth of eucalyptus of sev- 

 eral varieties, the Australian wattle and 

 other trees of that character. These 

 trees have already exercised a noticeable 

 influence in conser\'ing rainfall and ren- 

 dering the climate in the vicinity more 

 agreeable. 



The islands have a number of very 

 fine cabinet woods, besides a few which 

 are valuable for .ship-building purposes, 

 such as the making of knees, ox yokes 

 and bows, and articles of that character; 

 but it is a lamentable fact that with 

 the introduction of many new plants, 

 shrubs, and trees, insects have entered 

 the country which are proving very de- 

 structive to much of the indigenous 

 forest. We hope that one of the lines 

 of work of the American Forestry Asso- 



ciation, if a branch can be established 

 in Honolulu, will be the devising of 

 means to check the injury done by these 

 pe.sts. 



Much of the virgin forest of the coun- 

 try has been destroyed in part by cattle 

 and other foraging animals, as well as 

 direct cutting away for agricultural 

 purpo.ses. The injurious effect of this 

 upon the climate has already been so 

 great as to vastly decrease the product- 

 ive power of some of the localities. I, 

 perhaps, in the ab.sence of .statistics, 

 would not be justified in saying that 

 the rainfall is materially less, but in 

 places where in years gone by streams 

 were running nearly the entire year, 

 the water from the floods, poured down 

 on the mountains, now rushes to the 

 ocean in immen.se volumes, carrying 

 off soil, plants, and in some instances 

 houses. We believe that much of the 

 injury which has been done is remedi- 

 able, and think it within the province 

 of a forest a.s.sociation to work on these 

 lines. 



VIEW OF HONOLUI.U, SHOWING B.\RK CONDITION OF THE MOUNTAIN SIDES. 



