Page:Report of the Puerto Rico Experiment Station (IA CAT31294391015).pdf/6

 their cooperative experiment stations throughout Latin America. series of cooperative experiments was initiated in collaboration with the Complementary Crops Division, Technical Collaboration Branch, represented by F. A. McClure, field service consultant on bamboo for that agency. The objective of these experiments is the production of small plants for economy of transportation costs, propagating material, space, and labor.

The exchange of information on tropical crops between both organizations has been of mutual benefit.

The Mexican Government assigned an agronomist to work at the station for a period of approximately 5 months to study the work in progress on vanilla.

A considerable number of other institutions and agencies, as well as individuals, scattered throughout the tropical world, cooperated with the station in providing plant material to add to the extensive collection of tropical plants.

Reinforced concrete roofs were built under contract, on the front east and west office wings of the administration building, to replace old wooden and galvanized-iron construction. These offices were rewired and painted, and minor repairs were made in the ceilings of the lower rooms. Reinforced concrete porticos were also built around the patio of the main office and over the lower passage on the north side of the main building. A corrugated-zinc roof was constructed over the entomology office, and new wiring and outlets installed. An old tile roof over the bamboo shop, garage, and labor foreman's office was replaced with corrugated zinc.

The cooling chambers in the air-conditioned greenhouse were rebuilt, the instrument panels were rewired, and a new cooling unit installed.

Concrete curbs were built along part of the station's hard-surfaced roads, and an increased parking area for visitors and station personnel was developed.

A 750-gallon capacity water tank was installed on top of the new head house. Unchlorinated water with pH adjusted to 6.6-6.S is pumped into the tank for use in watering plants in the greenhouse.

A fire-alarm siren, with push-button control, was installed on the roof of the administration building.

The plant-breeding greenhouse has been made insect-proof by covering it with a 16-mesh copper screen.

A seed-storage room, with temperature controlled at 50° C., was put into operation during the year. Adequate seed-storage facilities are now available for all needs of the station and for cooperating agencies.

R. H. Hageman

Several thousand cuttings of Derris elliptica (Wall.) Benth. (Changi No. 3 MG clones) were sent to L. H. Narodny, Roseau, Dominica, British West Indies. This shipment consisted of 750 12-inch cut tings of each of the 9 MG clones. Half of these cuttings are to be used in a cooperative experiment to determine the effect of the trellising