Stories In Plants

Hawaiian Botanist’s Book

THE pineapple and the bread-fruit are found all over the islands of Hawaii.

But they are not indigenous. There fore, how did they get there? They seem to have been there before Europeans settled in, at the beginning of last century.

That is only one of scores of intriguing problems discussed in “Plants of Hawaii National Park”, by Otto Degener, of Honolulu; who is famous throughout the South Seas as a botanist. He has spent a good deal of time in Fiji and Samoa.

In spite of its unimaginative name and unattractive cover, this book is written by a man who really can make nature study as fascinating and interesting as is should be; and the compilation, while no doubt of value to the scientist, is readable from cover to cover by the non scientist.

The section on coconut palms, for ex ample, does full justice to the world’s most interesting tree. The author de scribes not only the innumerable uses of the coconut palm, but also its origin.

He rejects the theory that it came from Africa and Madagascar, via the Orient following, it would seem, the track of the supposed Polynesian migrations.

There is also the fascinating story of the taro (or kalo, or dalo) that root which is a staple foodstuff throughout Oceania, and which appears to have originated in the East Indies, and been distributed all over the Pacific Islands by the wander ing Polynesians. Incidentally, Mr.

Degener, in his study of Hawaiian plants, finds plenty of evidence that the Poly nesians reached Hawaii via Tahiti.

Do you know why the taro is so free from injury by insects and herbivorous animals? If not, put your tongue against the cut stem of an old-type taro that has not yet been boiled. The new-style taro, introduced from Japan in recent years, has not got that natural protec tion, and can be eaten raw.

Mr. Degener, in this copiously illust rated book of 300 pages, deals also with birds, insects, native customs—with every thing, in fact, that makes the Islands interesting to the visitor from the tem perate zones. But, written so carefully and authoritatively, it is of interest also to the salted dweller in the Islands: the old-timer, no matter how long he has been in Oceania, can always learn some thing new about plants, insects, birds and native customs.

The index of plant and bird names should be most valuable, because so much of what is found in Hawaii is found also in other Pacific Islands.

The book was printed and published in United States, and copies are not available in Sterling areas. Copies may be obtained, for 2h dollars, from the author, Mr. Otto Degener, Waialua, Oahu, Hawaii. t Mr. H. D. Kelly has been promoted from assistant manager to general manager of Misima Goldmine, Ltd., Eastern Papua, and Mr. P. R. Osborne, who has been acting as general manager since the mine reopened, will resume charge of the metallurgical operations.

The Directors have expressed apprecia tion of the “great job” done by Mr.

Osborne in getting the mine back into production, after the four years shut down following the Jap invasion.