September, 1911.] 



201 



Saps and Exudations. 



curl up the leaves, which are all inju- 

 rious to the tree to some extent. 



However, through the assistance of 

 the Board of Agriculture and Forestry, 

 parasites for these insects have been 

 introduced in the Nahiku district, and 

 we trust that these insects will soon be 

 a thing of the past, or be under such 

 control that their injurious effects will 

 not be felt, as the scale has already 

 shown signs of diminishing. 



" Since tapping has commenced, a few 

 slight injuries by boring beetles have 

 been noticed, but at present we are un- 

 able to give any special information, nor 

 do we know that it can be classed as 

 one of the rubber pests ; but will require 

 close observation during the coming 

 year to see that it does not get a start in 

 our fields. 



"There is still another pest that may 

 possibly become a menace to our Heveas, 

 This is a fungus disease which is closely 

 allied to what is known as shot-hole 

 fungus (Phyllosticta prunicola), but no 

 fear need be felt from this fungus, as we 

 know how to deal with it." 



At the afternoon session of the Con- 

 vention the following officers were elect- 

 ed to serve for the ensuing year :— 



C. D. Lufkin, President. 



William Williamson, Vice-President. 



D. C, Lindsay, Secretary and Trea- 



surer, 



Bertram von Damm, Director. 

 Wade Warren Thyer, Director. 



Paper by Mr. Williamson. 



"The Present Status of Rubber 

 Growing: in Hawaii" was then discussed 

 by Ml. William Williamson as follows :— 



" Gentlemen of the Convention :— A 

 couple of weeks ago Mr. Waldron came 

 to me and asked me if I would talk, and 

 I told him that I would be very glad to. 

 He wanted me to talk about marketing, 

 or something else. I told him I would 

 talk about marketing, but mostly about 

 something else. All I can say about 

 marketing is that we accumulated about 

 40 pounds of rubber, of which 18 pounds 

 was scrap. We did not feel like giving 

 this away, so ' we sent it on through 

 Alexander & Baldwin, through their 

 New York agents, as it was sufficient to 

 make up what the companies back there 

 seemed to want— that is, a good working 

 sample. We expect within a week or 

 two to get a report on that rubber. 

 In order to get something to talk about, 

 and as I had not been in Nahiku for 

 two years, but previous to that had 

 been over there three or four times 

 each year, and had seen the various 

 companies plant their lands, I thought 

 26 



it would be a good idea to go to Nahiku 

 and try to give you here a general idea 

 of the condition of things over there on 

 Maui. 



'' When the first rubber companies 

 were organized to plant rubber trees at 

 Nahiku, some six years ago, it was 

 thought that all that would be necessary 

 would be to cut down the virgin forest, 

 dig holes 3 or 4 feet in diameter, and 

 plant the seedlings there. During the 

 first year the trees grew remarkably 

 well, but as the roots struck the edge of 

 the hole, instead of striking through 

 into the virgin sod, in many cases they 

 turned back and formed a tangle within 

 the original hole. The natural result 

 was that during the second and third 

 years they failed to respond to hoeing 

 and became backward in their growth. 



" During 1908 a few acres to be planted 

 to Heveafrom choice seeds were plough- 

 ed in preparation, and the trees planted 

 in this area showed such thriftiness that 

 at the beginning of the next year three 

 of the companies operating in the dis- 

 trict decided to clear the Ceara fields of 

 all stumps and grass, and stir the soil of 

 all the space between the trees. Of the 

 800 acres planted by these three com- 

 panies, 550 are now clean cultivated, 

 and the balance will be within a few 

 months. The trees have responded 

 readily, showing an average growth of 

 4 inches in circumference per year, from 

 which it is evident that had the first 

 plantings been in ploughed ground, the 

 Nahiku product would have made its 

 appearance in the market last year 

 when rubber reached $3*00 per pound. 

 These lands, once cleaned up, are kept 

 in condition by an occasional spraying 

 with arsenate of soda. The writer was 

 doubtful of the wisdom of applying a 

 powerful poison over any considerable 

 area when it was first recommended, 

 but in so far as he can see it kills the 

 grass and weed growth, but has had no 

 injurious 1 * effect whatsoever upon the 

 trees. Some of the lands so treated for 

 about a year where the branches in- 

 terlace to shade the ground are now so 

 free from grass and weeds that they will 

 require no more attention, Acreage that 

 has not been cleaned up is backward, 

 and it is evident that the longer the trees 

 are neglected the longer will be the wait 

 foi returns, while many thousands of 

 trees will never reach tappable size, while 

 they must share the life-sustaining pro- 

 perties of the soil "with the grasses and 

 weeds that grow between. 



" Throughout the fields are a few 

 thousand trees that have attained a 

 circumference of 20 inches, and a few 



