The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-27
Interesting Report From An Agri-
cultural Department Agent.
THE PHILIPPINE FERTILITY
IMMENSE YIELDS OF SUGAR AND
RICE.
Two-thirds Of the Lands Are Still
Open to Settlement and Many
American Soldiers Will Remain
Japan a Consumer of American
Products-Conditions In China.

Washington, March 26.-Dr. S. A.
Knapp who was sent by the depart
ment of agriculture to Japan, China
and the Philippines as an agricultural
explorer, has returned to Washington
and reported to Secretary Wilson the
results Of his labors. He swas instruct
ed to investigate such products of the
farms, fields and forests of those coun-
tries 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 ia
pan already have been published in a
preliminary report. On this branch of
investigation, however, .he had the fol-
lowing to say:
All fear of competition from Japan
along agricultural lines may be dis
missed. On the contrary, it must be-
come a large consumer of farm pro-
ducts drawn fro mthe United tSates.
The diffusion of knowledge and intro
duction Of new industries in Japan have
had the effect of more than doubling
the cost of labor in the last ten years,
and, in proportion, of stimulating con-
sumption by the common people. Flu
ture progress must be mainly made in
the direction of manufacture. In such
event, the food for the operatives, the
cotton and other fibre material for the
fabrics, the lumber and iron for the
construction of factories and much of
the machinery will be drawn from the
United States.
of the fabrics, cotton and wool
alone have made much progress under
the factory system, and this is owing
to the fact that they We're not produced
to any extent in the empire, and hence
no home system of manufacture had
been established for them.
THE principal agricultural products
imported into Japan are wheat, flour,
sugar, cotton, butter, cheese and meat.
The annual value of these articles is
at present between twenty-four and
twenty-five million dollars in gold. I'm
der favorable treaty regulations, Japan
will import from the United States
nearly all her flour, butter cheese and
meat, three-fourths of the raw cotton
required, and from the Philippines
nearly their entire surplus output of
sugar
Regarding China, the report says:
THE great area, the large per cent OF
fertile lands and the enormous popula-
ton 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, II at all,
because the food supply cannot be ma
| terially reduced or even changed with
! safety. Large areas devoted to fibre
! plants for the promotion of manufac-
ture would be a dangerous invasion of
the areas necessary for the food sup
ply, and must be speedily followed by
! importations from the United States.
| Dr. Knapp was impressed by the
alert, industrious and frugal character
! of the Chinese.
PHILIPPINE PRODUCTS.
From China DR.. Knapp proceeded to
the Philippines. Arriving at Manila, he
went by rail as far as San Fernando,
/ passing through the rich section to the
east and north of Manila, on to the
sugar lands to the north. The yield per
| acre, according to the best authorities,
is about /, 900 pounds Of hulled rice on
| lands under rainfall irrigation solely.
and 1000 ON lands artifcially cultivated.
This shows very careless husbandry.
! 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 crudest conceivable. The sugar
/ is drained upon the open kettle plan.
| The proprietor furnishes land and fac
] tory and the tenant furnishes seeds,
! does all the work in the field, delivers
/ the cane to the mill and supplies most
of the hands for making sugar. The
| proprietor receives one-half the sugar
and all the molasses, The tenant, III
| theory, is allowed the remainder, but in
fpractice he usually receives about two
/ ffths of the sugar. DR.. Knapp was in
/ formed that in the, islands of Fancy.
| Negroes and Cebu the sugar farms and
! factories are much more improved than
! in Luzon. Sugar lands produce from
| 5000 pounds 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
production of heterogeneous foods as the
/ Japanesa hence are less muscular.
! Spanish statistical reports and inter
views with Manila exporters satisfied
! the doctor of the prosperity of the to-
| bacco and hemp industries under nor
NAL conditions.
/ Millet, maize, sage and indigo do well
! and are ordinarily profitable crops.
! Philippine coffee, of which there were
| formerly many plantations, has a pc
| culiarly rich and pleasant flavor. Co.
] coanuts, pineapples,, oranges, bananas.
! grapes, figs and many other fruits grow
! almost spontaneously.
According to the best authority.
nearly two-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 permanent settlers.
Some associations of this kind have al
ready been organized. The price of inn
proved land ranges from 81 to $40 per
acre (gold), depending upon the location
and value of the improvements.
Reports of the observatory at Manila
Show that the average rainfall for the
past thirty years has been 75.4 inches.
| The temperature is quite uniform, aver
aging during the past eighteen years n
degrees for January, the coolest month.
and S3.S degrees for May, the warmest
month. Within the period the Their
mometer only once reached 100 degrees
and once fell to 704 degrees.
Prominent Filipinos assured Dr.
Knapp that upon their estates the la
borers were industrious and thrifty
and if encouraged, these conditions
would become general. A visit to the
carpenter shops, machine shops and
various small factories satisfied him
that the Filipinos made good mechanics
when properly trained.
M'KINLE SABBATH.