GUAM AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 17 



bushels being a large yield, and the quality of the corn produced in 

 most cases is decidedly inferior. There are several reasons why the 

 native corn crop would not compare with that produced in the 

 Middle AVestern States of the United States. Climatic conditions, 

 including especially either an overabundance or a scarcity of mois- 

 ture at critical periods, inferior seed-bed preparation and cultivation, 

 general prevalence of corn insect enemies, and lack of improvement 

 of any description are the chief factors in the production of poor 

 corn in Guam. 



The problem of profitably growing corn in Guam is believed to be 

 not impossible of solution, for every modern practice seems to be 

 attended with success. The undesirable moisture distribution may 

 be largely overcome, as has been shown at the station during the past 

 season, by using deeper and better seed-bed preparation, having the 

 plants farther apart in the rows, and practicing more frequent culti- 

 vation. The native corn grower makes no attempt to cultivate his 

 soil, his only effort being to keep down weeds. It has been demon- 

 strated at the station that a good 8-inch plow can be drawn by two 

 carabaos, and even though the soil turns up hard and cloddy, a small 

 pulverizer breaks it down in good shape after a shower. Further- 

 more, the 5-tooth cultivator is effectively used for maintaining a 

 fairly open field and a good dirt mulch. These methods are within 

 the reach of the average grower. 



In considering corn improvement in Guam, attention should first 

 be gi^en to the corn now grown. Xormally the stalks are relatively 

 low growing, about 5 or 6 feet in height, and most stalks bear two 

 small ears. The shanks are large, and, as with most other crops 

 grown in the Tropics, there is a large amount of foliage. There is 

 no uniformity in size or shape of ear, an outcome of a lack of selec- 

 tion or other improvement. In size the ears would be classed as de- 

 cidedly small, perhaps averaging 5 inches in length, while in shape 

 there is little taper from butt to tip. Both grain and cob are nor- 

 mally white, showing little variation in color. The space between 

 the kernels on the cob is large, and this, with shallow kernels and 

 large cobs, makes a low percentage of grain to cob. 



This station during the past fiscal year started an experiment to 

 improve the native corn, with the idea of distributing improved seed 

 if marked success were attained. In this experiment the principal 

 improvements undertaken are earlier maturity, production of one 

 ear per stalk, and uniformity of crop. The present corn crop ma- 

 tures in about 120 days, and thus both the first crop, planted normally 

 about June 1, and the second crop, planted about November 15, are 

 reduced in yield, the former maturing in too rainy a season, the latter 

 in too dry a period. Also it has been fully demonstrated here that 



