INTKODUCTION. 



The papers which are herewith published were prepared for pre- 

 sentation at meetings of sugar planters called at Central Fajardo on 

 August the 15th and at Arecibo on August the 25th. The meeting at 

 Fajardo was well attended and the interest shown in the procceedings 

 by all those present was an indication of the importance of the subject 

 chosen for discussion. As will be seen by reading these reports, 

 there has been an almost unprecedented drouth in many parts of the 

 island which in some parts began last year and with but few exceptions 

 has continued until the present time. The object of the meetings was 

 to confer with the planters and discuss the possibility and practicabil- 

 ity of installing cheap but efficient irrigation plants that would assist 

 in the future in diminishing the disastrous eifects of drouths. The 

 Commissioner of the Interior recognized the importance of the matter 

 and at our request sent Mr. W. W. Schlecht, a practical irrigation 

 engineer of the Irrigation Service, to Fajardo to look ovei- the situation 

 and be present at the conference. 



At the same time it was considered a very opportune occasion to 

 discuss the methods of conserving soil moisture by methods of prepa- 

 ration a-nd cultivation of the soil as it is believed that proper methods 

 of cultivation will tend greatly to mitigate the bad effects of seasons 

 of drouth- The statistics of rainfall do not extend over a period 

 sufficiently long to enable one to speak with confidence, and yet a 

 careful consideration of all data available leads one to believe that in 

 many places drouths are of frequent recurrence, so frequent as to make 

 irrigation and moisture conservation of great practical importance. 

 My own impression is that so much attention has been paid to the 

 drainage of cultivated fields, (in fact the systems of preparation of the 

 land and planting seem to be with that chief end in view) that the 

 planters have forgotten that as much harm may be done to C'lne by 

 having too little water as by having too much. 



Unfortunately no meeting was held at Arecibo, owing to the fact 

 that preparations for a meeting place were not made until it was too 

 late. 



The Experiment Station has been vei'y desirous of aot^tinsj the 

 people generally interested in holding meetings and discussing with 

 them practical plantation problems. There are some subjects of a 

 more or less scientific aspect, such as injurious insects ar.d cane diseases, 

 fertilization, etc., in the discussion of which the staff of this Station 

 should be leaders and teachers, but there are many practical details 

 of plantation work and plantation problems thiit the [ilanters alone 

 understand. There is such a close relation between the scitMilific and 

 practical aspects of these subjects that meetings of all parties should 

 result in much mutual benefit. In most cane growing countries such 

 meetings are held periodically, and all the more important questions 



