The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-05-20
WEALTH Of PHILIPPINES
THE NATURAL PRODUCTIONS OF
THE ISLANDS.
What Commodities Can BE Obtained
From Uncle Sans Tropical Posses
sions i'm the Eastern Seas.

The chief products of the Philippines
are rice, corn, hemp sugar tobacco.
cocoanuts and cacao. Coffee and cot
ton were formerly produced in large
quantities-the former for export and
the latter for home consumption-but
the coffee plant has been almost ex"
terminated by insects and the home
made cotton cloths have been driven
out by the competition of those import
ed from England. The rice and corn
are principally produced in Luzon and
Mndoro and are consumed in the ISL
ands. The rice crop is about 765, 900
tons. 1t is insufficient for the demand
and $4,000 tons of rice were imported in
1894, the greater portion from Saigon
and the rest from Hongkong and
Singapore, also 1869 tons 100000 bar
rels) of flour, of which more than two
thirds came from China and less than
one-third from the United States.
The Cacao is raised in the southern
islands, the best quality of it at Min
danao. The production amounts only
to $50 tons. and it is all made into cfoc-
olate and consumed in the islands. The
sugar cane is raised in the Visayas.
The crop yielded in 1894 about 900
tons of raw sugar. of which one-tenth
was consumed in the islands, and the
balance of 100000 tons, valued at $l1,
600, 900, was exported, the greater part
to China Great Britain and Australia.
The hemp is produced i'm Southern Lu-
zon, Mindoro. the Visayas and Minda~
mao. 1t is nearly all exported in bales.
In 1894 the amount was 10000 tons, val
ued at ST.. 900 900. Tobacco is raised in
all the islands, but the best quality ami
greatest amount in Luzon. A large
amount is consumed in the islands.
smoking being universal among women
as well as men, but the best quality is
he in
tons of leaf tobacco valued at $1,750,
900. Spain takes so per cent and Egypt
10 per cent of the leaf tobacco. OF the
manufactured tobacco, 20 per cent
goes to China and Singapore, 10 per
cent to England and per cent to
Spain. Cocoanuts are grown in South
ern Luzon, and are used in various
ways. The products are largely con-
sumed in the islands, but the exports
in 1894 were valued at 81, 400 900.
Cattle goats and sheep have been
introduced from Spain, but they are
not numerous. Domestic pigs and
chickens are seen around everywhere
in the farming districts. The principal
beast of burden is the carabao, or wa
ter buffalo, which is used for blowing
rice fields, as well as drawing heavy
loads on sle5ges or on carts. Large
horses are almost unknown, but there
are great numbers of native ponies
from nine to twelve hands high, pos
sessing strength and endurance far be
You'd their size.
Gold is found in a vast number of To-
calities in the archipelago from North
ern LuzOn to Central Mindanao. In
most cases the gold is detrital and
found either in existing water courses
or in stream deposits now deserted by
the current. These last are called cal
luviones" by the Spanish. 1t is said
that in Mindanao some of the gravels
are in an elevated position and adapt
ed to hydraulic mining. There are no
data at hand which intimate decisively
the value of any of the placers. They
are washed by natives largely with CO.
coanut shells for pans, though the ba-
tea is also in observation-disclosures