OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 277 



PLANS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 1903. 



The buildings already on the station land, when painted and repaired, 

 will meet the demands of the station in this direction for the present. 

 As the funds of the station will not permit of the use of all the land 

 for experimental purposes, it is proposed to put a considerable por- 

 tion of this tract into grass or other crops which will yield some finan- 

 cial return through the maintenance of live stock or in other ways. 



The work for this year will include further tests of both field and 

 garden crops. It seems advisable to test pretty thoroughly the vari- 

 ous kinds of leguminous croj)S which give promise of being useful in 

 building up the worn-out soils of the island. Among these crops, 

 alfalfa, velvet beans, soy beans, and perhaps a few others should be 

 tried. Alfalfa should be tried for the purpose of furnishing forage, 

 and also as a crop in connection with coffee planting, where it is 

 attempted without shade. Some deep-rooted crop will be needed on 

 the steep hillsides in order to keep the soil from washing away. In 

 addition to the two j)rincipal grasses of the island, namel}', malojilla 

 and guinea, which are now practically the only ones used for forage 

 and pasture, others should be tried, especially those that give prom- 

 ise of furnishing good permanent pasture on the mountain lands. 

 Corn, rice, beans, and perhaps a few root crops should be given a per- 

 manent place among the field crops. The number of vegetables will 

 be somewhat reduced and confined to those that give promise of the 

 best results. 



It is proposed to at once begin the work of planting a nursery and 

 also orchards of all the principal tropical fruits that are being grown 

 on the island, as well as promising varieties from other countries. 

 Work should be commenced at once in the improvement of these fruits 

 by grafting and selection. 



Coffee experiments have been well begun, and it is proposed to 

 extend them by securing control of about 35 acres of the estate known 

 as "Carmelita," situated about 10 miles directly north of the city of 

 Ponce. The managers of this large estate have indicated their wil- 

 lingness to cooperate with the station in this enterprise. To begin 

 with, about 10 acres of an old grove is to be divided into as many 

 different parcels, each one to be treated in a different way. Methods 

 of pruning, cultivating, shading, and application of fertilizers will be 

 the principal features of this experiment. In addition to this, a con- 

 siderable number of the new coffee plants from our present nursery 

 beds will be transferred to the field, some with and some without shade, 

 as soon as they are large enough for the purpose. AVith these plants 

 also different methods of pruning, cultivation, etc., will be tried. It 

 is also proposed to assemble, as rapidly as possible, the principal 

 varieties of coffee known to the world. This will in time furnish the 

 means for cross breeding and for grafting, both of which will be 

 important factors in coffee improvement. 



Bulletins describing the objects and aims of the experiment station 

 and giving the results of the investigations already made on the 

 changa are being prepared and will be issued at an earl}^ day. It is 

 hoped that at least two other bulletins can be published during the 

 current fiscal year. There will also be continued effort made to bring 

 the station into close touch with the agricultural people of the island 

 through the visits of the station officers to different localities, addresses 

 at farmers' meetings, correspondence, etc. 



