June, 1909.] 



548 



Timbers. 



insects directly attacking the cane ; but 

 the incidental effect upon the sugar 

 plantations is so great that no effort 

 should be spared to obtain results in 

 this direction. 



Artificial Reforesting. 

 Irrespective of the arrest of the decay 

 of the forests, reforesting should be 

 actively taken up at an early date, on a 

 large scale, both by the Government and 

 by private interests, or the flow of water 

 on a number of the watersheds is liable 

 to be seriously diminished. 



The watershed most urgently in need 

 of rescue and reforesting is that of the 

 Kohala mountain, on Hawaii. A large 

 portion of this, under private ownership, 

 is still being overrun by cattle, resulting 

 in the continued recession of the woods. 

 A considerable area of private lands 

 should be secured by exchange or pur- 

 chase, and replanted at the earliest 

 possible date, or diminution of the water 

 flow will certainly follow. 



Next to Kohala the watershed area 

 which, in my opinion, most seriously 

 needs attention is that of the Ewa basin 

 and the district of Waialua on the island 

 of Oahu. 



The amount of water flowing or being 

 pumped from the supply furnished by 

 this small watershed is something enor- 

 mous, amounting to several hundreds 

 of millions of gallons per day. Droughts 

 affect the quantity of the artesian 

 supply, and no possible step should be 

 left untaken to protect, conserve and 

 increase the product of this watershed. 



A paper line of forestry reservation 

 has been located and partially fenced, 

 but systematic tree planting to further 

 conserve the water flow and prevent its 

 running off in storms should be syste- 

 matically taken hold of by the planta- 

 tions, which depend upon this supply for 

 their irrigation. The Government owns 

 but little land in the district and cannot 

 be expected to do much. So far the only 

 tree planting has been done by the 

 company which is the least interested in 

 the direct conservation of water flow, 

 viz., the Oahu Railway and Land Com- 

 pany. It has at a limited expense made 



such a tine showing upon the top of the 

 Waian mountains that its example is 

 worthy of emulation on a larger scale by 

 the sugar plantations interested. 

 The Government Forestry. 

 So far, the appropriations for Govern- 

 ment forestry have been insufficient to 

 do anything more than create forest 

 reserves and a skeleton of administration 

 pf the same. No appropriation has 

 been provided for forest rangers, forest 

 fencing or replanting, or for fighting 

 fares. A skeleton is as essential to an 

 advanced forest policy as it is to a man ; 

 but in the one case as in the other, it 

 is of no practical value, except for show 

 purposes, without the conjunction with 

 flesh and blood. The flesh and blood 

 necessary to make our forest adminis- 

 tration a living organization, are appro- 

 priations to go ahead and do something 

 with the efficient frame work already 

 created. 



I think it would be eminently sound 

 for this Association to formally pass 

 resolutions, recommending the coming 

 Legislature to make appropriations for 

 these subjects, and for the members 

 hereof to individually interview their 

 several Senators and Representatives 

 urging their support to such appro- 

 priations, 



I submit herewith for consideration of 

 this Association a form of resolution 

 suggested :— 



" Resolved :- That in the opinion of 

 the Hawaiian Sugar Planters ' Associ- 

 ation the work of forest protection and 

 extension is of the highest importance 

 to tlie agricultural interests of this 

 Territory, 



''That in the opinion of this Associ- 

 ation the time has arrived when liberal 

 appropriations should be made for such 

 protection and extension, and we hereby 

 petition the Legislature to make liberal 

 specific appropriations for forest fencing • 

 for rangers to inspect and protect the 

 forests from fire, depredation and tres- 

 pass, and for replanting with trees areas 

 which have been heretofore denuded 

 of forest." 



[Note-— This resolution was unani- 

 mously adopted by the Association.) 



