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industry, and the exigencies of modern life are now calling into 

 existence a system of institutions which is producing a race of 

 educated farmers. It is to be expected that Hawaii will before 

 long possess a thoroughly equipped agricultural college akin to 

 those already established and which are proving themselves of 

 such utility on the mainland. 



In this country little economic use is made of the Prickly pear. 

 The diffusion of this remarkable plant to various parts of the 

 world is chiefly due to the Portuguese who have introduced it ex- 

 tensively to India and Mediterranean countries. In the former 

 country on account of its wonderful rapidity of growth and 

 vitality it has taken possession of immense tracts of land and be- 

 come difficult to eradicate. In Southern Europe its refreshing, 

 though somewhat insipid fruit, has been found to respond well 

 to cultivation, and three well marked varieties have been pro- 

 duced, the red, the white and the yellow. The cultivated fruit is 

 of increased size and is much esteemed. The plant thrives best on 

 well drained lime soils and is greatly improved by fertilization. 



Following the public hearings held on March 7th, to consider 

 the setting apart of certain areas on Oahu and Kauai as Forest 

 Reserves, Acting Governor A. L. C. Atkinson on March gth, 1906, 

 signed the two proclamations appearing elsewhere in this issue, 

 creating respectively the Ewa and the Kealia Forest Reserves. 

 Both of these new reserves are important additions to the chain 

 of Hawaiian forest reserves, because each covers a watershed on 

 which much valuable land is dependent for its water supply. The 

 total area of the Ewa Forest Reserve is 28,550 acres, more or less, 

 of which 4,759 acres are actually set apart. The area of the 

 Kealia Forest Reserve is 9,935 acres. In this case 7,385 acres 

 are set apart. The reasons underlying the creation of both these 

 reserves were set forth at length in the reports of the Superin- 

 tendent of Forestry published in full in the Forester for Febru- 

 ary, 1906. 



