Miscellaneous, 



158 



Feb. 1908. 



things of Nature. But such children 

 soon become ardent protectors of the 

 tender flowers and plants. Thus, 



" Nature holds in wood aud field 



Her thousand sunlit censers still ; 

 To spells of flower and shrub we yield 

 Against or with our will." 



— Sudley College Agricultural Journal, 

 Vol. II, No. 8. Sept.. 1907, pp. 107/109. 



A MESQUITE GROVE IN HAWAII. 



By Charles S. Judd. 



A curious grove of mesquite exists on 

 one of the islands of the Hawaiian group, 

 and is interesting because of the fact 

 that it was planted by horses. 



The mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) is a 

 common tree of our South-western States 

 and Mexico, where the people " climb 

 for water and dig for firewood," or, in 

 other words, tap the cactus for water 

 and dig in the ground for the long, 

 woody roots of the mesquite. 



The tree reaches a larger size and 

 grows taller and straighter in Hawaii, 

 where it goes by the name of algarobo, 

 than in the South-west. It was intro- 

 duced into the islands from California in 

 1837 by Father Bneuelot, and the original 

 tree which he planted on the grounds of 

 the Catholic cathedral in Honolulu r e- 

 mains to-day, although somewhat muti- 

 lated to make room for a new business 

 block. 



No other imported tree has spread so 

 rapidly or has proved to be so valuable 

 in Hawaii as the mesquite. Since its in- 

 troduction it has spread over more than 

 50,000 acres of what otherwise would be 

 worthless laud. It grows best on the 

 lowlands, but by gradual acclimatization 

 it now thrives at an altitude of 2,500 

 feet. The tree is seldom found growing 

 well on the windward side of the islands 

 because the salt air blasts the foliage. 



It has become the principal fuel tree 

 of the islands on account of its high 

 calorific value, rapid growth, ready re- 

 generation and accessibility to market. 

 The pods, borne on the trees in immense 

 quantities, are rich in nitrogen, and form 

 one of the principal foods for the fatten- 

 ing of cattle, horses, and other stock. 

 The flowers furnish an excellent, clear 

 honey, and most of the apiarists depend 

 entirely on the mesquite for the pastur- 

 age of their bees. 



The rapid spread of the tree in Hawaii 

 is due entirely to cattle and horses, 

 which do not injure the seeds in the 

 eating of the pods, but rather prepare 

 them for quick germination. 



But to return to our particular mes- 

 quite grove. This is found at Kipukai, 

 on the island of Kauai, in a semi-circular 

 basin surrounded on three sides by high 

 mountains and on the fourth by the open 

 sea. The particular situation occupied 

 by this grove is somewhat protected 

 from the full sweep of .ocean breezes by 

 a line of high sand dunes which fringe 

 the beach. The soil on the area is a rich 

 loam composed of fine calcareous sand 

 mixed with alluvial soil washed down 

 from the hills. 



Corn was grown with great success at 

 one time in this soil, but the owner de- 

 sired a stand of mesquite trees on account 

 of the rich fodder and fuel which they 

 produce. Repeated attempts at planting 

 the trees by hand met with failure, and 

 so the ranchman hit upon the following 

 novel scheme. He fed up a drove of 

 horses on mesquite pods, and driving 

 them through the pass over the moun- 

 tains turned them loose on the area 

 where the soil was in proper condition 

 for the reception of the seed. 



The device worked like a charm, and 

 complete success was obtained. To-day, 

 seven years after the pod-fed horses 

 were turned loose, about fifteen acres 

 are covei'ed with a dense stand of mes- 

 quite trees which average 30 feet in 

 height and 6 inches in diameter. The 

 trees are already bearing pods abundant- 

 ly, and not only does the grove supply 

 food and shelter for the stock, but also a 

 copious siipply of fuel in this barren spot 

 where formerly the few inhabitants were 

 compelled to depend entirely upon 

 driftwood, — Forestry arid Irrigation, 

 Vol. XIII, No. 4, April, 1907. 



THE SMALL-HOLDINGS COMPETI- 

 TION IN JAMAICA. 

 By W- Cradwick, 

 Travelling Instructor in Agriculture, 

 Jamaica. 



After several yeaLs' work among the 

 peasantry of Jamaica as an Agricultural 

 Instructor, and connexion with many of 

 the Agricultural Shows in the country, 

 I arrived at the conclusion that some- 

 thing was required which would reach 

 the peasant more directly and stir up in 

 him a livelier interest in his everyday 

 life. 



To this end, a plan, based on a competi- 

 tion tor cottage gardens, which I had 

 seen carried out by the Hawkhurst 

 •Horticultural Society in England, was 

 drawn up. This was called the Small- 

 holdings Prize Scheme, aud was placed 

 before the Commitee of the Experiment 

 Station at Hope Gardens, with the sug- 



