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sizes are found the kopiko, olapa, hame, kolea, alani, kawau, 
naio, mamani, mamaki, olomea, olopua, pilo, and the smaller trees 
such as naupaka and ohawai. Scattered throughout the forest 
under the taller trees there is an abundance of tree ferns, smaller 
ferns, ie-ie vines and other shrubs and vines. 
This valuable forest during the past 50 years has been attacked 
on all sides and pushed back by various relentless factors and it 
would have been further reduced in size had not the Board of 
Agriculture and Forestry called a halt on these depredations 
and drawn a dead line beyond which these factors will positively 
not be allowed to pass. On the mauka side, from Piihonua to 
Manowaialee, the grazing of cattle on the higher slopes of Mauna 
Kea has depleted vast areas of fine forest and pushed the reserve 
boundary down until it now runs along the upper edge of the 
heavy, wet jungle. In two places on this side and in one place 
on the lower side of the reserve stockmen still graze cattle, to 
the utter ruination of the forest, on approximately 2,000 acres 
of land within the reserve boundary, which are privately owned. 
These lands are an integral part of the reserve and are quite 
necessary in the general scheme of forest protection, and unless 
the owners will voluntarily cease to use them for pasturage and 
will protect the remaining forest on them, it will be necessary for 
the government to step in and acquire title to them. 
On the makai or lower boundary of the reserve the clearing 
of land for cane cultivation has pushed back the forest much 
further up the slopes than it originally existed and along this 
side jungle land was foolishly and unsuccessfully opened up for 
homesteading but had to be abandoned because of the mud and 
rain. 
The net result has been that the reserve is now confined to 
a belt of forest country extending about 22 miles along the slope 
of the mountain. At the south or Hilo end this forest is 13 
miles deep and there is an abundance of water flowing from 
the reserve to supply the needs in the country below. Toward 
the north end, however, the reserve narrows until it is only 5 
miles deep and there is a corresponding diminution in the amount 
of water flowing from this portion. The lack of water begins 
to be felt on the plantation fields of the Laupahoehoe Sugar 
Company and a few weeks after the heavy rainfall ceases the 
flumes which carry the cane to the mill begin to run dry and 
it then becomes necessary at great expense to pump water up 
from sea level in order to flume the cane to the mill. Beyond 
this plantation on the Hamakua side there is only one field on 
the adjoining plantation from which the cane can be flumed 
with water and this only when there are heavy rains in the forest. 
Water is so scarce beyond this point that the cane must be taken 
off the fields by gravity with the use of overhead cables. 
The importance of every bit of forest above the plantations 
in this part of the country for the conservation of water is keenly 
realized, and to help attain this end the Board contemplates add- 
