144 USEFUL PLANTS OF GUAM. 



dearth of rice on the island. One reason for the small size of the crops 

 is the difficulty of obtaining labor. Nearly everybody has a ranch of 

 his own, and prefers to reap all the benefits of his own labor rather 

 than to share them with an employer. 



Maize was introduced from Mexico at a very early date/' and soon 

 became the principal food staple of the early missionaries and the 

 soldiers sent to assist them in the conquest of the islands. With maize 

 came the Mexican metate and mano, a low inclined stone slab supported 

 on three legs on which tortillas are prepared, and a stone rolling pin, 

 cylindrical in shape with the ends slightly tapering. 



Maize is now the most important crop. On the higher land it is 

 planted at the beginning of the rainy season. In the lowland, as in 

 the valley of the Talofofo River, it is planted at the beginning of the 

 dry season. As soon as it is harvested it is shelled and spread out on 

 mats in the streets to dry in the sun. Then it is stored in earthen jars 

 as a protection against dampness and against rats and weevils. In 

 places where the soil is deep enough the land is prepared for maize by 

 plowing. On the higher land the weeds and bushes are cleared, dried, 

 spread over the field, and burned. This process serves to kill many 

 weeds and at the same time to fertilize the land. The only instrument 

 of cultivation used in such places is the fosino, or scuffle hoe, which 

 consists of a wide transverse blade, placed T-like on the end of a long 

 slender handle, the stem of the T being a hollow socket into which the 

 end of the handle fits tightly 7 . This is thrust ahead of the laborer, and 

 serves to clear away bushes and to cut the weeds. After the corn is 

 once planted, the surface is easily kept clear of weeds with the fosino, 

 the natives usually covering at one thrust a space of 6 feet in length 

 and the width of the blade. The use of this implement is universal. 

 Even the women are adepts, and tiny fosinos are made for the little 

 children. 



Edible roots. — Among the edible roots of the island are taro 

 {Caladium colocasia) and yams {Dioscorea spp.), both of which are 

 cultivated by the natives and are a resource for them during the 

 periods of famine, which usually follow hurricanes. Taro is cultivated 

 either in swamps (PI. XXIV) or in newly cleared ground. Certain 

 varieties, the best of which has purplish stems and is called Visayan 

 taro, " sunin visaya," are grown on hillsides and are of fine consistency 

 and flavor. The closely allied Alocasia indica and A. macrorrhiza are 

 not so common^ cultivated, but grow wild in many places. They are 

 very acrid and are only eaten in cases of necessity. 



The cultivated yams are probably varieties of Dioscorea alata, D. 

 sativa, and D. aculeata. Closely allied to the last is the wild gado 

 or nika cimarron {Dioscorea spinosa), which forms thickets in many 



" See p. 24. 



