232 THE PLANT WORLD 



Extracts from the Note-Book of a Nat- 

 uralist on the Island of Guam.— XL* 



By William E. Safford. 



Wedfiesday, October 25. — Many people have come to register their 

 land. I have tried to impress upon the natives the necessity of having 

 their titles clearly established and properly registered in the office of the 

 Recorder before the arrival of more foreigners in this island. This must 

 be done according to the Spanish law, which is still in force. By so 

 doing, they and their children can not be disturbed in the possession of 

 their homes and their ranchos. Several foreigners who have already 

 visited this island declared before their arrival that they were ' ' going to 



buy up the whole d d island," in the evident expectation of a boom 



in real estate. Thus far very little land has been sold by the natives ; 

 and that which has been sold is not very desirable. The other day an 

 American complained of the laziness of the natives, saying that they will 

 not work for a white man. One of the natives replied : "it seems to 

 me that it is the white man who is lazy, not the Chamorros. Who is it 

 that builds our houses? Who clears our land, plants our fields, and 

 gathers our crops ? Every Chamorro provides for his family, and if he 

 has time to stop his work occasionally to breathe and enjoy life, why 

 shouldn't he? The white man comes here and will not even work for 

 himself. He wants to sit still and have some one else clear and chop and 

 plant and build for him ; but he thinks the Chamorros should be kept at 

 work for their own good. ' ' This indeed seems to be the attitude of many 

 settlers in new countries. One of my American neighbors asked me the 

 other day what scheme I could suggest for utilizing the natives. I told 

 him that I had been trying to find the best way to be of use to them. It 

 seems to me that in taking this island we have assumed a responsibility ; 

 and I sincerely hope it is for the real and lasting good of those who are 

 under our care and protection. The conditions of life here are very 

 simple. Nearly every individual in Guam is the owner of one or more 

 "ranchos." There are no regular shoemakers, tailors, carpenters, 

 bakers, blacksmiths, etc., who depend upon their trades for their living. 

 A man may consent to make a pair of shoes for you ; but it may take him 

 several weeks to do so, he being obliged to visit his ranch at intervals to 

 attend to clearing, weeding, planting, etc. Most of this he does himself. 

 The blacksmith may be weeks without work owing to the fact that the 

 charcoal burner has made no charcoal, he having found it more profitable 



* Continued from September issue. Begun in September, 1902. 



