506 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



pasturage from wild grasses is scarce. This grass is one of the most 

 important developments of the forage investigations for the year, 

 and when the time comes for the introduction of improved breeds of 

 live stock an area devoted to it is planned to provide pasture. 



Among other forage plants that have been under observation 

 during the year, Para grass {Panicum molle) has been introduced 

 quite recently, and its adaptability to conditions is not yet deter- 

 mined. Alfalfa has grown well during the dry season, but its suc- 

 cess during the approaching long season of heavy rains is doubtful. 

 Cowpeas and velvet beans have grown well. 



The system of cattle management followed b}^ the Chamorro 

 farmer does not require the production of feed from cultivated crops. 

 Wild grasses are depended upon, though during the dry season pas- 

 ture becomes very poor. In the vicinity of towns, carabao and cattle 

 are kept tethered to stake, and when pasture is scarce the fleshy 

 stalk of the banana or the leaves of the breadfruit {Artocarjma 

 communis) or other trees are cut and thrown to them. The adoption 

 of the method of planting some of the forage plants that have proved 

 successful and of easy cultivation would result in an improvement of 

 the class of cattle; but it is difficult to impress on the people the 

 necessity of doing work to supply feed for this class of stock. The 

 horses are not as hardy as are the native cattle, and consequently 

 they will not live with the same lack of care. There is a demand for 

 a plant that will produce good fodder for these animals, and many 

 requests for seed have been received at the station. There are a num- 

 ber of fields of Kafir corn being grown by the Chamorro farmers in 

 the vicinity of the station. Most of this Kafir corn is thriving and 

 the owners seem well satisfied with the results. It is believed that 

 interest will continue to spread and in time the production of culti- 

 vated fodder crops will be a common practice among owners of live 

 stock. 



VEGETABLE EXPERIMENTS. 



A large number of varieties of vegetable seeds have been received 

 from the United States and tested out in our trial grounds during 

 the past year. Though the average native of Guam is fond of garden 

 products, he gives too little attention to the work of producing them. 

 An ordinary garden consists of a few plants, including probably a 

 few peppers, one or two tomato plants, a few eggplants, and a few 

 plants of one of various species of pole beans. These are planted 

 near the house upon unfenced ground, where they are ever in danger 

 of being broken or trampled out by stock. The station is making 

 an effort to obtain better varieties than are now grown to determine 

 the best methods and time for planting under conditions in Guam 

 and to encourage the people to plant more extensively and to adopt 

 more careful and more thorough methods of cultivation. 



