106 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



individual or a corporation, who employs a large number of peon or 

 contract laborers. In most instances the estate is under the direction 

 of a manager, whose desire is to secure a maximum yield with a min- 

 imum outlay. In many cases this has resulted in the continuance of 

 antiquated methods and finally in the utter impoverishment of the 

 soil. There have been some exceptions to this rule, notably in Hawaii, 

 where the methods followed on some of the sugar plantations can be 

 cited as models for the tropical world. 



Since these insular regions have become a part of the United States, 

 efforts have been made to develop their agriculture upon more 

 rational lines. In 1901 agricultural experiment stations were estab- 

 lished under the direction of the Office of Experiment Stations in 

 Hawaii and in Porto Rico, and a system of agricultural stations is 

 provided for by the local Government in the Philippines. Congress 

 at its last session made an appropriation for the establishment of a 

 station in Guam, and some preliminary work has already been begun 

 on that island. At all of these stations the fundamental idea has been 

 the diversification of agriculture. The single-crop system has in the 

 past been a highly remunerative one to the employer, but it has not 

 contributed very much" to the general welfare of the community. It 

 tends to centralization of wealth and power, and the indiAndual ceases 

 to be much of a factor in the economic development of the country as 

 a whole. At all of the experiment stations attempts are being made 

 not only to improve the present agricultural practices, but to intro- 

 duce new crops and industries. In doing this it is believed that not 

 only will the producing capacity of the countries be increased, but 

 that many small holdings will be developed and made profitable and 

 the islands filled with a more enlightened and contented population. 



In the establishment of these stations and the introduction of new 

 crops and improved methods of cultivation, many unexpected diffi- 

 culties have arisen. In the first place, it has been very difficult to 

 secure and retain qualified men in these new and in many ways strange 

 lands. Naturally the agricultural and other institutions on the main- 

 land were drawn upon to supply the personnel of the new stations, 

 but none of our institutions have courses that are especially adajjted 

 to the needs of an investigator in the Tropics, The best that can be 

 done under the circumstances is to get men with good general training 

 along the lines of their various specialties, and allow them sufficient 

 time to become adjusted to their new surroundings. Conditions of 

 living, methods of agricultural practice, kinds of crops, etc., are so 

 at variance with those upon the mainland that some time is required 

 to adapt the old theories to new and unfamiliar conditions. 



Under the influence of tropical climates, man}" factors are wanting 

 that are common in temperate zones. The influence of frost, pro- 

 longed hibernation, resting periods, etc., are absent, and in their stead 



