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government  should  overtake  the  protection  of  the  whole, 
rather  than  compel  long  and  expensive  fencing  for  small  forest 
areas.  Complications  like  that  arise  where  the  watershed  is 
the  boundary  dc  jure,  but  the  cliffs  of  the  neighboring  canyon, 
forming  a natural  boundary,  could  be  used  with  practically  no 
expense  as  the  fence  line  to  keep  out  cattle. 
Where  the  public  and  several  private  ownerships  and  con- 
flicting water  rights  are  involved  in  the  same  drainage  area  the 
government  might  also  step  in  and  overtake  the  protection  of 
the  joint  water  supply  and  its  equable  distribution  to  the 
claimants.  This  is  already  being  done  by  the  Reclamation 
Service  in  several  instances  on  the  mainland. 
RESTORATION. 
The  effort  for  restoration  of  forests  need  not  involve  any 
expensive  tree  planting.  In  all  the  watersheds,  at  least  on 
Kauai  and  Oahu,  that  are  of  value  for  water-conservation  the 
natural  forest  is  struggling  to  restore  itself  if  only  the  causes 
of  devastation  were  removed. 
Go  into  any  struggling  forest  in  the  early  summer,  and  even 
the  casual  observer  will  find  hundreds  of  seedlings  of  even 
the  larger  trees  springing  up.  Koa,  Ohia,  Kopiko,  Kauila, 
everywhere  a few  in  between  the  weeds  and  grasses.  In  the 
fall,  after  the  dry  weather,  when  they  should  be  six  or  eight 
inches  high,  they  are  gone,  bitten  off  or  pulled  up  by  the 
browsing  cattle  and  goats.  After  the  seed  crops  are  used  up 
it  will  be  too  late  to  save  anything.  Cattle  and  goats  are  really 
the  only  enemies  the  forests  of  Hawaii  have.  Kill  them  off 
and  prevent  their  return,  and  in  ten  years  you  cannot  recog- 
nize the  region  again  ; in  twenty  years  the  forest  is  practically 
restored,  though  young.  Insect  pests  only  seem  to  follow 
where  natural  conditions  have  been  entirely  upset  by  grazing 
herds. 
Since,  however,  the  areas  involved  are  large  and  cover  doz- 
ens of  adjacent  ownerships  which  cannot  readily  be  brought 
to  work  in  harmony  the  government  should  undertake  the 
whole  matter.  Systematic  scientific  work  only  will  succeed, 
continuous  work  only  will  win  out.  This  the  government 
alone  is  in  a position  to  undertake,  and  carry  on  without 
mutual  jealousies  and  ill-feeling.  For  instance,  the  Koolau 
range  from  Moanalua  to  Waimea  and  Kahuku  is  still  in 
jeopardy  from  wild  cattle.  There  are  not  many,  there  are 
enough,  however,  to  prevent  further  new  growth.  The  cattle 
wander  from  one  ranch  to  the  next.  If  they  are  hunted,  let 
us  say,  in  Waipio  they  run  east  or  west  over  the  boundary. 
There  they  are  safe  till  some  spasmodic  effort  is  made  by  the 
neighbors  and  then  back  they  come. 
To  exterminate  these  useless  cattle  quickly  it  would  be  nec- 
