4 BULLETIN 35, PUERTO KK'O EXPERIMENT STATION 
unfavorable for ripening the L931 crop, were still less favorable for 
the 1932 crop when the rainfall of the first two ripening months, 
December 1931 and January 1932, was abnormally high in the same 
area. Conditions for ripening arc, however, Beldom good on lowlands 
of the north coast, as the normal rainfall \s A inches a month during 
the critical ripening period. 
On account of its tendency to arrow profusely, P.O.J - >s 7 
commonly harvested early in the grinding season before the period 
of maximum sucrose. This is unfavorable to P.O.J. 2878, a variety 
with tremendous vegetative vigor which d<^< not ripen well under 
humid conditions. P.O.J. 2878 cannot be expected to give as high 
sugar yields along the north coast as in the San German Valley and 
along the south coast where the normal rainfall of the ripening period 
is light and the land is less subject to overflow. 
The 1932 crop of the north coast was adversely affected by the 
heavy rainfall that followed the hurricane of September 1931, and 
much of the lowland remained under water for a week. Drainage, 
which is never good, was very poor during the fall of 1931. As a 
result, P.O.J. 2878 developed many water suckers which partly 
explains its very low sugar yields in 1932. Very few water sprouts 
developed on B.H. 10(12), the sugar yields of which were not so badly 
affected. 
COMPARISON OF P.O.J. 2878 WITH OTHER SUGARCANE VARIETIES 
GRAN-CULTURA TRIALS AT FAJARDO « 
Usually sufficient rainfall is available near Fajardo and in the eastern 
end of the island for cane growing throughout the year, and periods 
of drought rarely last longer than a month. B.H. 10(12), which is the 
major cane variety, thrives on hillsides as well as on low land. Except 
in the Loiza district, the mosaic chsease has been controlled by 
systematic roguing; hence, superior drought resistance and resistance 
to mosaic — two of the principal advantages of P.O.J. 2878 over B.H. 
10(12) — are not important factors near Fajardo. P.O.J. 2878 would 
have to outyield B.H. 10(12) by a distinct margin to justify its 
adoption by cane growers. A variety trial on humid lowland at 
Fajardo has been made, but no others have been reported from the 
east. 
Table 2 compares the average production at Central Fajardo of 
three Ko-acre plats of 16-month gran-cultura P.O.J. 2878 and other 
varieties locally grown without irrigation and harvested in January 
1932. 
• Gran-cultura cane is planted in the summer or in the fall and harvested when 16 to 18 months old. 
Primavera cane is planted in the spring and usually harvested when only 12 to M months old. 
