6 GUAM AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



clearing and breaking of about 3 acres from the tract of land trans- 

 ferred to the station by Gov. G. R. Salisbury in 1912 and mentioned 

 in the last annual report of the station. Practically all the forage 

 required for feeding the stock has been grown on the station grounds. 

 To produce tliis feed necessitates the use of a very large proportion 

 of the arable land in the ])Ossession of the station, and as the herds 

 increase in numbers a still greater acreage will be required. The 

 acquisition of an additional tract of land capable of being brought 

 under the ])low is most desirable. 



WEATHER CONDITIONS AFFECTING CROP YIELDS. 



In 1912 a season of extreme drought prevailed in which there was 

 practically no precipitation at the station during the period between 

 the first week in December and the 10th day of June, and tliis drought 

 was followed by an equally dry season during the past summer. In 

 addition to the unusually dry seasons of two successive summers 

 several severe windstorms visited the island within the same period, 

 and these combined forces have seriously affected the copra crop of the 

 past fiscal year. The extent of the damage caused by these unfavor- 

 able agencies may be partially appreciated from the fact that the 

 copra exports for the fiscal year 1912 amounted to 1,047 tons, valued 

 at $59,924.10, United States currency, while the exports for the past 

 year only reached 565 tons and brought a return of $37,057.89 to the 

 growers. These figures are not intended to indicate the full extent 

 of damage resulting from unfavorable weather conditions, as there 

 are young plantations coming into bearing which should have increased 

 the production of the past year considerabl}^ over that of the preced- 

 ing fiscal year had ideal weather conditions prevailed. On the other 

 hand, it might be said that probably a somewhat larger amount of 

 copra was stored and ready for shipment at the close of the fiscal year 

 1913 than at the end of the preceding year. 



HORSE BREEDING. 



The progress made in the work of horse breeding has been fairly 

 satisfactory. On December 13, 1912, the registered Morgan filly 

 EvangeUne met with an accident in which the right fore leg was badly 

 fractured. Blood poisoning set in soon following the accident and 

 on December 20, 1912, one week after the injury was sustamed, the 

 animal, then in a hopeless condition, was killed to prevent useless 

 suffering. Aside from this misfortune the horses have continued to 

 thrive and were in better condition at the close of the past fiscal year 

 than at the end of the preceding annual period. 



The increase for the year consisted of the filly foal Mariana Bell 

 out of the Morgan mare Princess Angehne and sired by the black 



