lU GUAM AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



at somo earlicn- date of animals of the Indian species. Cattle are em- 

 ployed in Guam for draft, carriage, saddle, beef, and dairy purposes, 

 but breeding toward the development of more desirable types for any 

 of these jiurposes is never practiced. 



The milk-producuig qualities of the native cow are very inferior as 

 compared with the average cow of the United States mainland, regard- 

 less of her breeding. This is due partly to an insufficient supply of 

 nitrogenous food, but more largely to the fact that no systematic 

 efforts have been made toward the development of better dairy 

 strains. Cows kept solely for their milk are comparatively scarce 

 and their management is not conducive to good milk yields. The 

 milk cow of Guam is almost invariably tied to a stake and neglected, 

 often being allowed to remain unchanged for an entire day upon 

 closely cropped pasture, to depend for feed upon such grass or leaves 

 as may be reached within a radius of 25 or 30 feet. Milking is usually 

 performed once daily at irregular morning hours, and the native 

 farmer is wholly unskilled in the method of milking. The calf is never 

 hand fed. It is made fast at night and released after the milk has been 

 drawn from the cow on the following morning. A cow handled in this 

 way naturally holds her milk for the unweaned calf, and the practice 

 of allowing the calf to suck and manipulate the udder for a time until 

 a milk flow is indicated by the distention of the teats is commonly 

 followed. The calf may thus be allowed to suck several times during 

 the milking process, each time sufficient only to encourage the cow to 

 give down her milk. Milking stools are never used. The milker 

 assumes a stooping or squattmg position, holding the pail or cup in 

 one hand, and performs the operation by stripping with the thumb and 

 forefinger of the other hand. The milk yield of the native cow 

 seldom exceeds 3 quarts, and the lactation period is of short dura- 

 tion, usually ending by the time the calf is old enough to wean. 



The native cattle have good active grazing habits, and when given 

 free run of the range are inclined to fatten easily, even under adverse 

 conditions of pasturage. From the viewpoint of hardiness, although 

 otherwise inferior, these cattle are well adapted to the climatic and 

 other conditions to which they are subjected. 



Many favorable conditions obtain in Guam, giving important 

 advantages over most other cattle-growing sections, which would 

 seem to render the cattle industry both attractive and remunerative 

 under an int.elligent system of management. Beef is alwaj's in ready 

 demand at prices that are good and steadily advancing. A relatively 

 large area of grazing land is available which is of little or no value 

 for other agricultural purposes. The tropical climate renders unneces- 

 sary any provision for the shelter of acclimatized stock, and makes 

 the production of green feed possible during all seasons of the year. 



