INTRODUCED PLANTS AND A X I .M A LS. 281 



known to tile oldci' I I;i\v;iii;iiis. hciiiu' used by tlicin in nink'niL;' I'opc Also New 

 Zeahnul liemp " lias been iii'own in a limited way. 



As a fil)er plant Upland cotton,'" oi" Sea Island colton'' now l)ids fair 

 to ontstfip any of those mentioned. Unfor'tnnateJN', it has been lield in 

 check owing- to attacks of the boll woi-m. Cotton of cultivated varieties was 

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

 sent to China by Kamehameha the (Ireat. The plant in this latitndc is a 

 perennial. Several varieties have been experimentally gi'own from time to 

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

 a num1)er of other strains that have received experimental attention at the hands 

 of Professor F. G. Krauss and his associates. Although the revived indnstr>- is 

 hardly beyond the experimental stage, it is reassuring to know that tlif (ibrr 

 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 i)ossesses. This twdst 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 Gossypiuni, belonging to the order Malvacea. to which 

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

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

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

 grownng 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 easil_\- from 

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

 cotton plant produces varieties that readily and rapidly adapt themselves to 

 new conditions. Single trees are common in Hawaii that are twent\ 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 ])lants are well estab- 

 lished in vai'ions ]ilaces on the principal islands, and other species are in 

 process of introduction. 



One of the oldest, if not the oldest grove of rul)l)ei' ti-ees. is a small plant- 

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

 1893, and from it a grove was j)lante(l at Liliue in IS!)!). I^xpei-iiiimla! taj)- 

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

 of fifteen pounds of rubber per annnni fi-om the 1 liii-teeii-year-old trees, and it 

 is expected that this can be materially inci-eased by i)ro|)ei- cai-e. cnlti\alioii 

 and improved methods of tapping. The seeds ai'e cni-ions in that lliey have 

 a thick, hard coating and often reipiire some months for lliem to uvrmi- 



^ PhormiiDii ffii(i.i\ ^" Oos.iiiiiiiim s]). ^ ' (i (i.t.si/iihiin Baibadfn.ii'. ^- (iiissi/iiiiiin lniiif-Dtonum. 



''^^ Gossypiinn dnjiinriaidi'.i. ^^Mfiiiilict (Ihiziorii. 



19 



