For our purpose we should have the rainfall for a great number 

 of years so as to be able to predict the frequency and probable severity 

 of drouths. Any month with less than five inches of rain, unless 

 preceeded by heavy rainfall, maybe considered as a dry month. Cane 

 should have 5 inches to insure a good growth. Taking this as our 

 basis let us see how often you have drouths in this neighborhood and 

 how long they last. 



The years 1899, 1900, 1901 and 1902 were practically without 

 drouths except for periods of two or three months that did little harm 

 to the cane. The first recorded drouth was that of 1903 which began 

 in January and ended in July. This was almost as severe as the present 

 drouth, but it was broken earlier. In 1904 there was a still longer 

 period of drouth, which ended only in September. 1905 was a good 

 year, as also 1906, except for a long spring drouth. 1907 was another 

 dry .year, the drouth beginning in January and ending in October. 

 1908 was dry from Februar.y until September, or throughout the prin- 

 cipal growing period. Both 1910 and 1911 had dry springs and com 

 paratively dry in midsummer but on the whole thj rainfall was fairly 

 satisfactory. The drouth of the present year begin in January, and 

 has not yet ended, with but 19.11 inches for the first seven months of 

 the year. 



Figure I gives the mean m.mthly rainfall at Fajardo for the period 

 covered by our statistics. 



