242 USEFUL PLANTS OF GUAM. 



planters on the island are the Western Commercial Company, having its plantation 

 in the district of Upe, in the northern part of the island (10,000 to 12,000 trees); Don 

 Vicente Herrero, in Orunao, Retiyan, and Lalo (7,000 to 8,000 trees); the Japanese 

 Oyama, in Hilaan (6,000 to 7,000 trees); Don Luis Torres, alias Cortez, in Goknga 

 and Lupog (5,000 to 6,000 trees), and Don Jose Duefias Evarista, in Sinagoso (6,000 

 to 7,000 trees). There are also good plantations in the district of Yona and in the 

 vicinity of Agat. Though coconuts do not thrive in swampy places as a rule, yet 

 there are good plantations near San Antonio, across the river from Agana, and near 

 Punta Piti, where the trees grow on hummocks almost on a level with the water's 

 surface when the rivers are unobstructed. Coconuts are fond of sunshine and ocean 

 breezes; but it is evident that they can not stand exposure to repeated hurricanes, 

 from the fact that on the fine stretches of sandy beach along the east or windward 

 coast of the southern portion of the island not a coconut tree is found, while near 

 by, in more sheltered sites of Pago and the valleys of Ilig and Talofofo, fine groves 

 are met with. Great damage to the coconuts of the island is caused by baguios, or 

 hurricanes. Both ripe and green fruits are whipped off and the leaves are destroyed. 

 It is from the axils of the petioles of the old leaves that the young flower clusters 

 issue; and when the leaves are killed these become aborted and it takes at least two 

 years for the tree to recover. During the year which followed the hurricane of 

 1900 not a single ton of copra was exported from Guam.« 



All enterprising natives on the island are now planting coconut trees, as there is a 

 ready sale for all the copra that can be produced. Clearings are made in the forest, 

 the undergrowth removed, and the tree trunks gradually gotten rid of with the aid 

 of fire. (PI. XXIII.) This requires hard work, and few white men coming to the 

 island are either able or willing to clear land for themselves. Land taro and bananas 

 may then be planted until the stumps are removed, after which coconuts are planted 

 in regular rows. As the natives have plantations of their own they naturally prefer 

 to work for themselves rather than for another; so that it is almost impossible to 

 obtain laborers on the island. Moreover, the natives will not part with a coconut 

 grove in good bearing condition or a thriving young plantation at any price. A 

 fairly good yield for a coconut palm is 25 to 30 pounds of copra a year, though there 

 are many trees on the island which produce double this amount. In the process of 

 clearing, taro, yams, and bananas are often planted in the new ground. The nuts 

 selected for seed are taken neither from very young nor very old trees, but from 

 trees at least 15 years old. Many of the natives pay no attention to seed selec- 

 tion, but plant sprouting nuts indiscriminately; others, however, realize the advan- 

 tage which results from planting seed taken from trees yielding the greatest 

 amount of copra. The tendency is to plant large nuts; but these may have been 

 produced by young trees or trees bearing few nuts and yielding less copra than trees 

 bearing nuts of smaller size. Nuts selected for seed should be lowered to the ground, 

 not thrown down or dropped. Nursery planting is not practiced in Guam. The 

 ripe nuts are simply collected in piles in the shade of trees or in the corners of inclo- 

 sures and left to sprout, without further care. When the sprouts are about 60 cm. 

 high they are ready for permanent planting. If the roots have in the meantime 

 penetrated the ground and are broken off in removing the nuts, they should be 

 neatly cut off with a sharp knife, so as not to leave ragged ends. 



It is the practice in Guam to plant coconuts in rows 5 to 6 meters apart, but this 

 is too close. From 7 to 10 meters is a good distance. Holes about 60 cm. deep are first 

 dug, and they are sometimes arranged so that the holes in one row will be opposite 

 the intervals of the next. On some plantations coffee, cacao, or bananas are planted 

 between the rows, but this custom is not recommended. The evil effects of crowd- 



« See official report of Governor Seaton Schroeder to the Secretary of the Navy, 

 1901. 



