Evening star., 1899-03-27
ORIENTAL AGRICULTURE
DE- Knapp's Report on China, Japan and the
Philippines
Many Interesting Facts Gathered by
an Observant Explorer-Our
New POssessfOns.

/ We" IOBSc0SlOhBs
| The Secretary of Agriculture has received
| the report of DR.. 8. A. Knapp, who was
! sent to Japan, China and the Philippines
| to study the soil and agricultural condi-
| tions.
| He was instructed to investigate such
! products Of the farms. fields and forests Of
| these countries as might be of advantage
| to the agricultural industries of the United
| States Some of the observations of DR..
| Knapp relating to the products of Japan
| already have been published in a prelimi-
nary report. On this branch of investiga-
| ton, however, he has the following addi-
| ton to say:
"All fear of competition from Japan along
| agricultural lines may be dismissed On the
contrary, it must be a large consumer of
| farms products drawn from the United
States. The diffusion of knowledge and the
| Introduction of new industries in Japan
have had the effect of more than doubling
| the cost of labor in the last ten years, aid,
| in proportion, of stimulating consumption
| by the common people. Future progress
must be mainly made in the direction of
manufactures. In such event the food for
| the operatives. the cotton and other fiber
material for the fabrics, the lumber ard
| iron for the construction of the factories,
and much of the machinery will be drawn
of the fabrics, cotton and wool alone
have made much progress under the fac
tory system, and this is owing to the fact
that they were not produced to any extent
! in the empire. and hence no home system
| Of manufacture had been established for
them.
The principal agricultural products i'm
ported into Japan are wheat, flour, sugar,
cotton, butter, cheese and meat. The an
nual value of these articles is at present
| between s2400O,oo0 and s25,O00,0 900 in gold.
will import from the United States nearly
all her flour. butter. cheese and meat,
threefourths of the raw cotton required.
and from the Philippines nearly their entire
surplus output of sugar"
China's Vast Area.
Regarding China the report says:
1.-The great area, the large per cent of
| fertile lands and the enormous population
of China stagger the observer on the
| threshold of investigation. Here, however,
| as in Japan, radical changes in agricultural
methods or products must be made very
slowly, If at all, because the food supply
cannot be materially reduced or even
changed with safety. Large areas devoted
| to fiber plants for the promotion of manu-
factures would be a dangerous invasion of
the acres necessary for the food supply,
and must be speedily followed by importa-
tions from the United States" DR.. Knapp
was deeply impressed by the alert, indus
tI10uS ana ITuSdl character OF the chinese.
From China DR.. Knapp proceeded to the
Philippines Arriving at Manila he went
by rail as far as San Fernando, passing
through the rice section to the east and
north of Manila, on the sugar lands to the
north. The yield per acre, according to the
best authorities, is about 1000 pounds of
hulled rice on lands under rainfall irriga-
ton solely, and 1000 pounds on lands arU-
fic:ally irrigated. This shows very careless
hpsbandry.
The rich, clay loan soil about San Fer
nando is we'll adapted to sugar cane In
LuZon the methods of sugar farming are
quite different from those practiced in the
United States while the factories are the
cFudest conceivable The sugar is drained
upon the open-kettle plan. The proprietor
furnishes land and factory, and the ten
ant furnishes seed, does ali the work in the
field, delivers the cane to the mill and sup
plies most of the hands for making the
sugar. The proprietor receives one-half
the sugar and all the molasses. The ten
ant, in theory, is allowed the remainder
but in practice he usually receives about
two-fifths of the sugar.
Sugar in Philippines.
DR.. Knapp was informed that in the is
lands of Panay, Negros and Cebu the sugar
farms and factories are much more i'm
proved than in Luzon. Sugar lands pro-
duce from 5000 to 5000 pounds per acre,
depending upon the cultivation and the
factory.
The Filipinos, as far as he observed. do
not give as much attention to the produc-
ton of nitrogenous foods as the Japanese
and hence are less muscular.
Spanish statistical reports and interviews
with Manila exporters satisfied the doctor
of the prosperity of the tobacco and hemp
industries under normal conditions.
Millet. maize, sago and indigo do we'll
and are ordinarily profitable crops. Philip
pine coffee, of which there We're formerly
many plantations, has peculiarly rich and
pleasant flavor. Cocoanuts, pineappIes,
oranges, bananas, grapes, figs and many
other fruits grow almost spontaneously.
The Philippine Islands abound in va'u-
able wood for building, furniture dye
woods, and some yielding costly gums. Ac-
thirds of the land is still public and passes
to the United States with the title. If
opened for settlement to soldiers MANY of
our young men will remain and become per-
tnanent settlers Some associations of this
kind have already been organized The
price OF improved land ranges from 81 to
w per acre gold, depending upon the loca-
ton and value of the improvements.
reports of the observatory at Manila
SHOW that the average rainfall for the past
tnlrty years has been 75.i inches The tenn
perature Is quite uniform. averaging during
the past eighteen years II degrees for Jam
uary, the coIdeSt month, and S3S degrees
Ior May; the warmest month. Within that
period the thermometer only once rose to
lOO degrees, and once fell to 704 degrees
prominent FiliDinos assured DR. Knann
that upon their estates the laborers wera
Industrious and thrifty, and if encoura ged
tnese conditions would become general A
visit TO the carpenter shops, machine shons
ana various small factories satisfied him
that the Filipinos make good machanins no.,
when properly trained
.