i5 
It  may  perhaps  be  noted  here  that  the  report  of  the  Con- 
servation Commission  was  published  in  the  December  For- 
ester and  Agriculturist,  which  number  also  contains  an  ac- 
count of  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Rubber  Growers’  Asso- 
ciation. Extra  copies  were  printed  and  have  been  generally 
distributed  to  members  of  other  State  Conservation  Commis- 
sions and  to  other  persons  likely  to  be  interested. 
Arbor  Day  was  observed  on  November  13,  1908.  The  spe- 
cial feature  in  regard  to  this  day  so  iar  as  the  Division  of  For- 
estry is  concerned  was  the  distribution  for  planting  by  the 
public  schools,  of  the  largest  number  of  trees  ever  sent  out  for 
Arbor  Day  planting  from  the  Government  Nursery;  71  schools 
being  supplied,  the  total  number  of  plants  being  5,777-  At 
the  suggestion  of  this  office  Arbor  Day  planting  this  year  was 
along  the  roadsides  leading  to  the  schools.  Also  in  connec- 
tion with  Arbor  Day,  trees  have  been  very  generally  dis- 
tributed to  homesteaders  throughout  the  Territory  without 
charge.  Owing  to  the  unfavorable  season  some  of  the  plants 
are  still  at  the  Nursery,  but  these  will  shortly  be  disposed  of. 
During  the  past  two  or  three  months  notable  progress  has 
been  made  at  the  experimental  garden  in  Makiki  Valley. 
Various  valuable  exotic  plants  received  during  the  past  year 
have  now  been  planted  out.  Many  of  these  will  unquestion- 
ably prove  to  be  desirable  introductions  to  the  Hawaiian  flora. 
The  reports  of  Mr.  Haughs  have  given  the  details  of  other 
work  carried  on  in  the  section  of  Forest  Extension. 
SEMINAR  OF  AGRICULTURAL  WORKERS. 
With  the  purpose  of  bringing  the  agricultural  workers  at 
the  several  experiment  stations  in  Honolulu  into  closer 
touch,  there  has  been  organized  an  informal  seminar  which 
meets  monthly  at  one  or  another  of  the  stations  for  the  promo- 
tion of  interest  in  scientific  work  through  the  reading  of  re- 
ports and  discussion.  Four  such  meetings  have  been  held, 
respectively  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  October,  November,  De- 
cember and  January.  At  the  first  meeting,  President  Gilmore 
of  the  College  of  Hawaii  outlined  the  program  of  studies  to 
be  carried  on  in  that  institution  and  told  in  detail  the  objects 
and  purposes  of  the  College.  Mr.  W.  A.  Bryan  also  spoke  on 
the  organization  and  plans  of  the  Pacific  Scientific  Institution. 
At  the  November  meeting  Hon.  F.  H.  Newell  spoke  on  the 
“Work  of  the  Reclamation  Service.”  He  was  followed  by  Dr. 
Wilcox  of  the  Hawaii  Experiment  Station  who  discussed  the 
subject,  “What  is  Agricultural  Research?”  At  the  December 
meeting  Mr.  Noel  Deerr  of  the  Hawaiian  Sugar  Planters’  Ex- 
periment Station  read  a paper  on  “Methods  Used  in  Originat- 
ing New  Varieties  of  Sugar  Cane  Seedlings.”  The  January 
meeting  was  held  at  the  Hawaiian  Sugar  Planters’  Experi- 
