280 USEFUL PLANTS OF GUAM. 



transplanted while very small. To prepare the ground for a garden it is cleared of 

 brush and weeds. When new weeds begin to spring up the dry brush is spread over 

 the surface and burned, which kills the young seedlings and at the same time 

 enriches the ground with the ashes. 



Xhe only implement used by the natives, a scuffle or thrust hoe, called "fusiilo," 

 or " fozifio," is well adapted for clearing the ground and keeping it free from weeds. 

 It consists of a broad transverse blade provided with a socket into which a long 

 handle is fitted. The iron part is T-shaped, with the socket in the stem of the T and 

 with one arm of the letter longer than the other. In Guam it is usually made by 

 the village blacksmith from a musket barrel — an almost literal example of beating 

 "swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks" — a practice which was 

 undoubtedly carried out among primitive people in more than one region of the 

 world. All the natives — men, women, and children — are skilled in the use of this 

 tool. 



Many plants will grow in almost pure sand; others require the ground to be 

 enriched. For manure cow dung is best. The soil is also benefited by turning 

 under weeds, by planting velvet beans and oth->r nitrogen-gleaning leguminous 

 plants, which may either be fed to cattle or turned under as green manure. An 

 occasional crop of peanuts is recommended, which may be utilized either as forage 

 for animals or as food for man. Wood ashes are always available, and are recom- 

 mended for the sake of the potash they contain. Nitrate of soda, if it can be obtained, 

 makes an excellent fertilizer; but care must be taken not to apply it too strong; 

 half an ounce to a gallon of water is recommended for potted plants and one ounce 

 per gallon for garden patches. 



Hedges are the most economical inclosures. They may be made of lemoncito, 

 lime, lemon, physic nut, or lead tree. The lemon, lime, and lemoncito grow densely, 

 sending up sprouts from their roots. They have the advantage of yielding fruit, 

 but they need to be trimmed and held in check. The physic nut and Leucaena 

 take root readily when freshly cut stakes are thrust into the ground. Both are 

 poisonous and are immune from attacks of animals. Henna is also recommended. 

 It grows readily from cuttings; but the odor of its flowers, though delightful from a 

 distance, is too rank at close range to be agreeable. For surrounding large garden 

 patches remote from dwellings sappan wood and lemoncito are recommended. 



Among the animal pests which infest gardens are white ants, mole crickets, and in 

 some localities land crabs, which are herbivorous. The field adjacent to the palace 

 at Agana is riddled with their burrows. Insects are held in check by the use of 

 scalding water. Crabs are often caught by the natives in traps of bamboo placed at 

 the entrance to their burrows. 



In the climate of Guam seeds are apt to die if left unprotected for any length of time. 

 Ordinary garden seeds should be thoroughly dried before storing and should be kept 

 in glass jars or tin cans sealed with paraffin or soldered. The same precautions 

 should be taken in the transportation of seeds. Corn, onion seed, and seed of lettuce 

 sent from the United States to Manila in paper wrappers were found to be quite dead 

 after having been kept for a few months; and the failure of the seed of lettuce, 

 onions, and of several other vegetables brought by us to Guam may have been owing 

 to carelessness in packing. On the other hand, certain seeds must be kept fresh, as 

 they lose their vitality in drying. This is true of the mango, avocado, mangosteen, 

 and many other tropical fruits, the seeds of which are usually packed for transporta- 

 tion in moist charcoal, to prevent drying and the attacks of fungus." 



The vegetables available for cultivation in Guam and their proper treatment are 

 shown in the following list: 



Artichokes. — Not successfully grown in Guam. When planted they grow coarse 

 and weedy. 



«SeeDuvel, The Yitalitvand germination of seeds, U. S. Dept. Agr., Bureau Plant 

 Industry Bull. No. 58. 1904. 



