i8i 
months  to  establish  our  nursery  and  get  our  plants  growing. 
In  about  nine  months  we  have  planted  over  30,000  trees.  At 
first  we  had  to  fence  the  land  completely  so  that  the  wild  cattle 
couldn't  get  in.  We  are  planting  our  trees  six  feet  apart  hop- 
ing that  by  planting  them  so  close  we  will  get  straight  timber 
and  probably  in  five  or  six  years  have  to  cut  out  every  other 
tree.  I was  down  there  with  Mr.  Haughs  and  Mr.  Alexander 
McBryde  today.  You  can  go  right  to  the  mountain  house  in 
an  auto.  I wanted  to  show  them  what  we  are  doing,  prin- 
cipally the  work  we  have  started  off  on  the  iower  line  of  the 
fence  and  are  working  straight  into  the  mountains  wherever 
there  is  a vacant  piece  of  land  where  the  forest  has  died.  I will 
say  I have  watched  the  forest  now  for  over  thirty  years  and 
can  see  great  changes,  especially  by  fire.  We  had  a fire  only 
last  July  in  our  forest,  but  it  only  burned  for  three  days  and 
didn’t  get  any  more  than  a mile.  The  old  trees  were  destroyed 
but  we  find  that  where  those  trees  were  burned  down  and 
the  vines  and  grasses  were  destroyed  by  the  fire  that  the 
young  Koas  are  coming  up  very  thick. 
“Our  work  is  expensive  because  we  are  planting  every  place, 
side  hill  and  everything.  We  planted  24,000  trees  up  to  the 
31st  of  December  and  they  averaged  us  $96  an  acre,  which  is 
too  much,  6 or  8 cents  a tree,  but  the  expense  is  m the  eleva- 
tion and  the  valleys  and  hills  we  have  to  pack  these  trees  over. 
We  plant  all  sites.  We  have  some  side  hills  so  steep  that 
we  have  to  let  the  boys  down  with  ropes.  These  bovs  hang 
on  with  their  bare  feet  on  the  side  hills  and  plant  the  trees. 
My  idea  is  to  put  in  all  the  country  there  above  the  mountain 
fence  with  trees,  and  we  believe  it  is  going  to  be  a big  industry 
in  the  wood  alone  and  will  pay  us  more  than  cur  expense. 
But  if  we  could  have  level  ground,  and  could  well  plow  the 
land,  cultivate  it  the  same  as  they  do  with  pineapples,  the  trees 
would  grow  much  faster  and  probably  wouldn’t  cost  very 
much,  possibly  not  over  $48  an  acre.  I am  proposing  very 
soon  to  go  in  with  another  young  man  and  plant  200  acres. 
We  intend  to  carefully  plow  the  land  and  cultivate  it,  so 
that  any  good  things  in  the  soil  will  go  to  the  trees  and  not 
as  it  does  now  to  the  underbrush  and  the  grass. 
“I  should  say  that  the  idea  of  having  a forester  for  every 
district  would  be  a very  good  one.  Of  course,  we  look  after  our 
own  forests.  I have  always  felt  a little  hurt  towards  the  gov- 
ernment because  we  fenced  off  the  forest  and  have  protected  it 
and  still  they  tax  us  for  it.  I have  had  one  suit  going  into  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  for  the  reason  that  we  sell 
our  water  to  the  Oahu  Sugar  Company  and  get  an  income  for 
it,  for  what  we  have  done  in  fencing  off  our  land  and  pro- 
tecting it.  I think  this  is  unjust,  but  the  courts  have  decided 
against  11s  and  so  we  have  to  pay  a tax  of  $2.50  an  acre; 
we  have  5,000  acres  of  forest  land,  and  thus  pay  to  the  govern- 
