150 AisrisruAL eepoets of department of agriculture. 



fibers, has aroused a demand for greater supplies of fiber suitable for 

 binder twine. 



Work has been started in the development of improved strains of 

 henequen {Agave fourcroydes) and sisal {Agave slsalana) in co- 

 operation with the Porto Rico Experiment Station at Mayaguez. 



Work is being started in cooperation with the Philippine Bureau 

 of Agriculture in Manila to encourage an increased production in 

 the Philippines of fiber suitable for binder twine. The production 

 of Manila maguey, a fiber similar to henequen but somewhat in- 

 ferior, has increased from 59,940 bales in 1915 to 129,263 bales in 

 1916. All of this has been cleaned by hand after soaking the leaves 

 in water, a process that injures the fiber. 



Fiber-cleaning machines are being introduced into the Philippines 

 to demonstrate the production of fiber better than maguey. 



The increasing production of henequen in Cuba and of Manila 

 maguey in the Philippines and the reports of sisal plantations in 

 many places indicate that the increasing demands for fiber of this 

 class will be met by production outside of Yucatan. 



AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES ON RECLAMATION PROJECTS. 



To encourage and aid in the development of agriculture on the 

 Government reclamation projects, work is directed toward the pro- 

 motion of specific agricultural industries for which the conditions 

 on the several projects are favorable. The agricultural problems 

 confronting the settlers on these projects form two classes: (1) 

 Problems of crop production; (2) problems of crop disposal or 

 utilization. Of the two, the problems of crop disposal or utiliza- 

 tion are generally the more acute. The isolated locations of these 

 irrigated areas make it impracticable to ship to the consuming cen- 

 ters the bulk of the farm crops produced, particularly in view of the 

 fact that approximately 80 per cent of the cropped area of these 

 projects is devoted to the production of forage and grain crops. 

 Profitable utilization of these crops necessitates the establishment of 

 live-stock industries. The improvement and maintenance of the 

 productivity of the soil also require that live stock be fed upon the 

 farms, so that the manure can be applied to the land. In view of 

 these facts, the major portion of the work of the office mentioned is 

 being directed toward the establishment of live-stock industries. 



On a few of the projects there are acute problems of crop produc- 

 tion affecting all crops. On a large number of the projects serious 

 production problems, are encountered only in connection with crops 

 which are desired to supplement other crops which are produced 

 abundantly. Part of the activities of this office are directed toward 

 the production of such supplementary crops. 



During the fiscal year 1917 the work of demonstrations on reclama- 

 tion projects was in progress on nine projects, as follows: North 

 Platte, Nebraska-Wyoming; Truckee-Carson, Nevada; Huntley, 

 Montana ; Minidoka, Idaho ; Tieton, Washington ; Shoshone, Wyo- 

 ming; Boise, Idaho-Oregon; Umatilla, Oregon; and Uncompahgre, 

 Colorado. 



The marked economic readjustments made necessary by inter- 

 national conditions have resulted in considerable instability in the 



