The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1899-04-10
WHAT THEY 2AISE
Treasury Department Tells OF
the Possibilities in the
Philippines.

1Gflcultufdll mlhtIai anu t"iiiii'e' o'''' "
portuuities In the Philippines are discus
ed i'm detail in the Monthly Summary -
Commerce and Finance, just issued by
tbs treasury bureau of statistics. This
discussion shows that although agricul-
ure is the chief occupation Of the Phil
ippInes. yet only one-ninth of the sur
face Is under cultivation. The soil is very
fertile, and even after deducting the
mountainous areas It is probable that the
area OF cultivation can be very largely ex-
tended and that the islands can support
population equal to that Of Japan az
600 .OOO)
The chief products are rice, hemp. corn,
sugar. tobacco. coc0anuts and cocoa. Cof-
fes and cotton were formerly produced In
large auantities-the former for export
and the latter for home consumption;
but the coffee plant has almost been eN-
terminated by insects and the home made
cotton cloths have been driven out by the
competition OF thcose imported from Eng
land. The rice and corn are principany
produced in Luzou ard Mindoro and are
consumed ia the Islands. The rice crop
is about 765DOO tons It Is in sufficient FOR
the demand. and 5000 tons Of rice we're
imported in 1894. the greater portion Of
Saigon, and the rest from Hong Kong and
Singapore: also 1859 tons 10000 barrels)
Of flour. Of which more than two-thirds
came from China, and less than one
third from the United States.
The cocoa Is raised in the southern isl
auds the best quality Of IT at Mindanao.
The production amounts TO only 100 tons
and it Is all made into chocolate and con-
sumed in the islands.
The sugar cane is Iyilsed In the Visayas.
The crop yielded in 1894 about 1885, 900 tons
OF raw sugar Of which one-tenth was con-
sumcd In the islands, and the balance,
of 2iO0OO tons. valued at 81 900 900, was ex-
ported TO China, Great Britain and Aus
| tralia- The hemp IS produced In southern
| Iuzon, Nindoro, tile Visayas' and Mlnda-
mao. It Is nearly all exported In bales. In
1894 the amount was $1,000 tons, valued at
sl2 600 900. Tobacco is raised in al the is
Hands. hut the best quality and the great
est amount In Luzon. a large amount Is
consumed IN the islands, smoking being
universal among women as wen as men,
but the best quality is exported. The
! amount In 1894 was 1000 tons Of leaf to-
bacco. valued at 81 750,ON. Spain takes So
per cent and Egypt 10 per cent Of the Leaf
tobacco. or the manufactured tobacco q
per cent goes 10 CHINA and Singapore, i
per cent to England and per cent tC
Spain. Cocoanuts are grown In southern
Luzon and are used in various ways. Tn,
products are largely consumed IN the isl
ands. but the exports IN 1894 were valued
at S2,iOO,OOO.
Cattle, goats and sheep have been in
troduced from Spain, but they are no
numerous. Domestic pigs and chicken.
are seen around everywhere in the farm
ing districts. The principal beast of bur.
den IS the Carabao, or water buffalo
which Is used In plowing rice fields as well
as drawing heavy loads on sleds or on
carts. Large horses are almost unknown.
but there are great numbers Of native pom
les from TO 70 hands high. possessing
strength and endurance far beyond their
| Size.
| Gold Is found IN a vast number OF To-
| calities in the archipelago from northern
luzon TO central Hindanao. In most
cases the gold IS detrltal, and found el-
her IN existing water courses or in
stream deposits now deserted by the cur
| rent. These last are called "alluyioncs'
| by the Spaniards. II is said that In Min
danao some Of the gravels are IN an ele-
waited position and adapted to hydraulic
mining. There are no data at hand
| which intimate decislvely the value Of
any of the placers They are washed by
natives largely with cocoanut shells for
pans, though the batea Is also In use
IN the province of Abra, at the north
ern end OF l.uzon, there are placers, and
the gravel Of the river Abra is auriferous
In Lapanto there are Rold-quartz veins
as we'll as graves Gold is obtained in
this province close TO the copper mines
In Benguet the gravels OF the river Agno
carry gold There Is also gold in the
province Of BontOc and in Neuva Ecija.
The most important Of the auriferous
provinces IS Camarines Norte. Here the
township OF Nambulao, Paracale and
Labo are especially Well known as gold
producing localities. Mr.. Drasche. a well
known German geologist says mat there
were 100 natives at work on the rich qu-
aitz veins Of this place at the time Of his
visit about % years ago At Paracale
there are parallel quartz veins in ganite
one OF which is % feet in width and con-
tains a chute In which the ore Is said
20 assay 3S ounces OF gold per ton. One
may suspect that this assay hardly rep
resented an average sample Besides the
localities mentioned, many others Of this
province have oeen worked by the ma
tives The islands Of Mindoro. Oatan-
duanes, Sihuyan, Panay, Hebu, and Bohol
are reported TO contain gold, but no ex-
act data are available AT the south end
Of the small island Of Psnaon. witch IS
Just TO the south Of Leyte. there are gold
quartz veins, one Of which has been work
ed To svme extent Il Is feel m fnick-
ness and has yielded from So 10 81 per
ton In the island Of Mindanao there are
Two known gold bearing distrdotsi the
province OF surigao, whore Placer and
other townships show gravels and veins
and the province OF ldisemis. Near the
settlement Of Imponai. and on the gulf
Of Nacajalar there are said 10 be many
square klometers OF gravel carving
large quantities Of gold with which is as
sociated platinum. The product of this
district was estimated some years since
at l50 ounces per month, an extracted by
natives with bateas or o0ooanut shell
dishes.
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