17 



Peanuts are <]:ro\vn in all sections of Porto Rico, the sole variety 

 being the small red Spanish. Improved peanuts from the States 

 have been ])lanted and have been found to do as well as the Spanish 

 variety in the experimental grounds of the station, and seed produced 

 from these have upon replanting given equally favorable results. 

 The high food value of this plant being -well known, together with the 

 fact that it is a nitrogen gatherer, its planting is recommended for all 

 sections of the island. 



Horse beans have made only a stunted growth of some 12 inches 

 in height and have flowered; so far in our experiments they are 

 classed as a failure. A number of other forage plants have been 

 tested, but at this time no report can be made; some experiments 

 have not gone far enough and others have failed for the reason of 

 nongermination of seed. It is found that seed deteriorate very 

 rapidly in this climate, probably on account of the great variation in 

 the humidity of the atmosphere between day and night. 



FIBERS. 



Experiments with fiber crops as rei)()rted last year are being con- 

 tinued, with one or two additions. Indian hemp {Cannabis sativa) 

 has been tested, but made a very poor and stunted growth. Of the 

 other fiber crops that have been imder test, sisal seems to be the most 

 promising from a financial point of view. Maguey grows luxuri- 

 antly and is native to the island, but the yield of fiber is small com- 

 pared with sisal. Sansevieria will make a good growth on certain 

 soils, but the yield of fiber is much below sisal, and the soils that will 

 grow this crop will also grow more profitable crops, like sugar cane. 

 On high ground that plant makes a very meager growth. The insular 

 government has decided upon taking up the growing of sisal on a 

 commercial footing, setting 100,000 plants under the direction and 

 supervision of the experiment station. The fiber expert of the 

 Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Mr. 

 Lyster H. Dewey, made a visit to the island in the summer and 

 looked into the fiber situation in different sections. He recom- 

 mended that a commercial trial be made with sisal as the most 

 promising of the several fiber crops tested by the experiment station. 

 Upon his return to the States, a box each of sisal and maguey were 

 sent to Paterson, N. J., for extraction in the machines. Mr. Dewey 

 returned samples of these fibers extracted. Commentmg upon that 

 from the sisal, he writes as follows: 



This fiber is softer and more grayish in color than most of the sisal on the market, owing 

 chiefly to the fact that it is from leaves only 2| years old, while practically all of the com- 

 mercial sisal fiber is obtained from leaves at least 4 years old. This fiber, however, is of 

 remarkably good strength (PI. 11, fig. 2). 



We tried the maguey leaves in the machine at Paterson, but the machine would not clean 

 them in a manner at all satisfactory. The fiber of the Porto Rican maguey is weaker than 

 that of sisal and the leaves are less firm in texture. 

 31207— No. 171-06 2 



