592 ANNUAL, REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The extension work that was so successfully carried on for several 

 years had been kept going as well as it was possible without a 

 trained leader to direct it. 



VIRGIN ISLANDS STATIONS. 



The residence begun under the administration of the former agron- 

 omist in charge was completed, considerable clearing of brush land 

 was done, and pastures were established on land that had not been 

 utilized previously. Some further efforts to secure a larger water 

 supply were made, and eaves troughs were placed on practically all 

 the remaining buildings so as to catch and store in cisterns all the 

 water possible. A beginning was made in the digging of a well, and 

 a small supply of water was secured, but digging was continued in 

 the hope that an adequate supply might be obtained. 



The entomologist of the station, C. E. Wilson, resigned August 25, 

 1922. On May 8, 1922, W. M. Perry was appointed horticultural 

 and extension assistant. He arrived May 22 and at once entered 

 upon his new duties. 



The Virgin Islands are again experiencing a below normal rain- 

 fall, with the accompanying shortage of crops. For the third year in 

 succession the rainfall on St. Croix has been only about two-thirds 

 of the normal, and for the first three months of 1923 only 5.41 inches 

 were recorded at the station. In the month of May, which has an 

 average of 4.5 inches of rainfall, there was but 0.36 inch in 1923. 

 This has resulted in a serious drought at the station, and all field 

 and plat work has suffered severely. 



The experimental work of the station, especially that carried on 

 during the summer season, was handicapped by the dry weather. 

 Cane seedlings, of which the station had many, made slow progress, 

 due to an inadequate water supply, and by reason of the limited sup- 

 ply for watering the young plants many of them died. Of more than 

 300 seedlings produced in 1922, only about 200 are living. The work 

 with corn suffered in like manner. Efforts were continued to produce 

 a table corn by crossing a native strain with the variety Black 

 Mexican. A hybrid has been secured that appears promising as a 

 table variety and is not susceptible to injury by the corn-ear worm. 

 Every effort was made to save this strain of corn. Other varieties, 

 notably Guam corn, had become so mixed that all were abandoned. 



The work of developing new seedling varieties of sweet potatoes 

 has been continued. Of some 250 varieties that were grown to matur- 

 ity, about 100 are being grown in one-eightieth acre plats in com- 

 parison with the parent varieties. This work has not progressed 

 sufficiently to determine the value of the new varieties, but some of 

 them appear quite promising. A number of the varieties were 

 sent to the Bureau of Plant Industry of the department, and they 

 are now growing at the Arlington Experiment Farm. 



Variety and culture tests of cowpeas, velvet beans, mung beans, and 

 alfalfa were undertaken with varying success. Poor stands were ob- 

 tained in most cases, but as the crops have not yet matured no com- 

 parisons can be drawn. 



In cooperation with the office of forage-crop investigations of the 

 department, a test was made of 11 varieties of sorghums. The va- 



