834 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



arched, and that the difficulties in such work are little more serious 

 than tliose met with in connection with deciduous orchard trees. The 

 selection of strains of highly flavored papayas from trees which bear 

 perfect flowers has been continued, and the work is progressing 

 rapidly. 



Some attention has been given to a latex-bearing tree {Euphorbia 

 lorifolia) which occurs abundantly in Kona, Hawaii. This tree pro- 

 duces an abundance of latex, the dried material of which contains 

 nearly GO per cent of a resin which is apparently identical with chicle 

 and from 14 to 17 per cent of true rubber. It is believed that this 

 latex can be profitably used in a commercial way. 



A number of other investigations are in progress, among them a 

 study of the kukuinut oil, the means of transmission of Hanson's eye 

 worm in poultry, artificial methods of breeding in bees, and a general 

 survey of the soils of Hawaii. This survey has been in progress for 

 about four years and will probably be completed during the coming* 

 year. 



In cooperation with the Territorial authorities and private indi- 

 viduals a number of demonstration farms have been put in operation 

 on the islands of Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, and Oahu. The work of this 

 station has met with promising success. On the island of Hawaii, at 

 one of the stations, dairying and forage crops are being given especial 

 attention, while near Hilo the culture of bananas and taro are being 

 investigated. The results thus far obtained with taro indicate that 

 the yield and quality of taro may be greatly benefited by proper sys- 

 tems of planting, cultivation, and fertilization. 



On Maui the energies of the substation are largely devoted to 

 methods of tapping Ceara rubber trees, drying and curing rubber, a 

 study of the chemical composition of rubber, and intercrops between 

 the trees. Great improvement is already reported in the quality of 

 the iiibber obtained and in the economy of its production. At the 

 demonstration farm on Kauai efforts are devoted to growing crops 

 which promise to be suitable for home use and for sale. These in- 

 clude pineapple's, peaches, potatoes, onions, corn, and various legum- 

 inous plants. On the island of Oahu the substation is occupied 

 primarily with experiments in dry-land farming, the experiments 

 being carried on with legumes, broom corn, potatoes, pineapples, and 

 other crops. 



It is already apparent that the branch stations offer an opportunity 

 of obtaining much information in an experimental way, and of 

 bringing the work of the station as a whole before the people, who 

 otherwise could not be reached in such an intimate way. 



PORTO RICO STATION. 



The work of the Porto Rico station has continued along diversified 

 lines under various groupings. In horticulture, besides the regular 

 work of the station, a considerable number of cooperative experiments 

 are in progress, the essential features of which are to impress upon 

 the attention of planters some of the requisites to successful fruit 

 production. These lines of work embrace experiments with grape- 

 fruit, oranges, and pineapples. 



The work with citrus fruits has been largely a continuation of co- 

 operative fertilizer experiments, studies in orchard management, in- 



