1918.] EDITORIAL. 609 



weather is from January to March, when, in 1916, the maximum tem- 

 perature was 82° F. and the minimum 65°. The hottest periods are 

 in August and September, when the maximum and minimum tem- 

 peratures were 92° and 72° F., respectively. The rainfall is rather 

 light for the Tropics, the average for 63 years being only about 

 35 in. on St. Croix and even less on the other islands. If agriculture 

 is ever extensively developed, some provision for irrigating the crops 

 will undoubtedly have to be adopted. A hurricane visited the islands 

 on October 9, 1916, Avhich is reported as having been the only very 

 destructive one for 50 years or more. Property losses were estimated 

 at $1,500,000. 



Upon the request of the Naval governor shortly after the acqui- 

 sition of the islands by the United States, an agricultural survey was 

 made of them by Mr. D. W. May, Agronomist in Charge of the Porto 

 Rico Station. All the principal islands were visited, several weeks 

 being spent upon them, and a report of the results of the survey with 

 recommendations was made to the governor. Sugar and cotton were 

 found to be the leading crops produced, with considerable areas 

 given over to forage plants. The sugar output is about 20,000 tons 

 per year, practically all of it being produced on St. Croix. Sea 

 Island cotton is second in importance, more than 2,000 acres having 

 been planted to this crop in 1913. Insect ravages and difficulties 

 arising out of the European War caused a marked falling off in the 

 area devoted to cotton, so that the growing of this crop was nearly 

 abandoned. There is some attempt at cattle raising, which could 

 undoubtedly be profitably increased. There appears to be very little 

 effort made to grow fruits and vegetables, even for local consumption. 



In 1910, an agricultural experiment station was established on St. 

 Croix on a tract of 23 acres, two and one-half miles from Christian- 

 sted, the principal town of the island. This area has since been in- 

 creased to 225 acres, about 190 acres of which can be cultivated. A 

 concrete laboratory and office building has been erected, and a con- 

 siderable amount of equipment has been provided. Experiments 

 were begun with sugar cane to determine the best varieties for local 

 production and the fertilizer and cultural treatments required for the 

 best yields. Some cotton experiments have also been begun, and 

 considerable attention is given to the growing of sorghums, maize, 

 sweet potatoes, and various leguminous plants adapted to use as 

 forage or as green manure crops. 



With the change in sovereignty, the income of the station was 

 impaired, and the new Congressional appropriation makes provision 

 for a station under the management of the States Relations Service of 

 this Department. It is expected that the present station will be taken 

 over, and the experiments now in progress continued and others in- 

 61347°— IS 2 



