The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-11
cocoanut Shell Used By Filipinos
For Pan.
OPPORTUNITIES OF ORIENT
POSSIBILITIES OF DEVELOPMENT
IN NEW POSSESSIONS.
Treasury Bureau of Statistics Issued
Summary of Products of the Is
lands-Agriculture the Chief Occu-
patton, But Only One-ninth of
Land Under Cultivation.

The agricultural mineral and CONNER
cial opportunities in the Philippines are
discussed in detail in the Monthly Sum-
mary of Comerce and Finance, just issued
by the treasury bureau of statistics. This
discussion shows that, although agricul-
ture is the chief occupation of the Philip
pines, yet only one-ninth of the surface
is under cultivation. The soil is very fer
tile, and even after deducting the noun
famous areas, it is probable that the area
OF cultivation can be very largely eX-
tended and that the islands can support
a population equal to that of Japan a.
000, 000).
The chief products are rice, corn, hemp,
sugar, tobacco, cocoanuts and cacao. COT
fee and cotton were formerly. produced in
large quantities-the former for export
ana the latter for home consumption; but
the coffee plant has been almost eXter-
cotton cloths have been driven out by the
competition of those imported from Eng
land. The rice and corn are principally
produced in Luzon and Mindoro and are
is about 765,00O tons. 1t is insufficient for
the demand, and 5000 tons of rice were
imported in 1894, the greater portion from
Saigon, and the rest from Hongkong and
of flour, of which more than two-thirds
came from China, and less than one third
from the United States. The caeao is
raised in the southern islands, the best
quality of it in Mindanao. The produc-
ton amounts only to $50 tons, and it is
all made into chocolate and consumed i'll
the islands.
CROP OF SUGAR.
The sugar cane is raised in the Visayas
The crop yielded in 1894 about 2S5,0OO tons
of raw sugar, of which one-tenth was
consumed in the islands, and the balance,
10000 tons, valued at $1lUJ0, coo, was eX-
ported, the greater part to China, Great
Britain and Australia. The hemp is pro-
duced in southern Luzon, Mindoro, the
Visayas ana Mindanao. 1t is nearly all
exported in bales. In 1894 the amount
was $4,000 tons, valued at S12,000000. To-
bacco is raised in all the islands, but the
best quality and greatest amount in Luz
Zon. A large amount is consumed in the
Islands, smoking being universal among
women as well as men, but the best quail
ity is exported. The amount in 1894 was
1000 tons of leaf tobacco, valued at 81, $780,
900. Spain takes so per cent and Egypt 10
per cent of the leaf tobacco. OF the man
ufactured tobacco. 20 per cent goes to
China and Singapore, 10 per cent to Eng
land and per cent to Spain. COcoanutS
are grown in southern Buzon, and are
used in various ways. The products are
largely consumed in the islands, but the
exports in 1894 were valued at g. 100000.
Cattle, goats and sheep have been intro
duced from Spain, but they are not nu-
merous. Domestic pigs and chickens are
seen around everywhere in the farming
districts. The principal beast of burden
is the earabao, or water buffalo, which is
drawing heavy loads on sledges or on
carts. Large horses are almost unknown,
but there are great numbers of native po-
MES from nine to twelve hands high, pos
seSsing strength and endurance far be-
yond their size.
PLENTY OF GOLD.
Gold is found in a vast number of local
tiles in the archipelago from northern
Luzon to central Mlndanao. In most
cases the gold is detrital and found either
deposits now deserted by the current
These last are called ''alluviones' by the
Spaniards. 1t is said that in Mindanao
some of the graVels are in an elevated
There are no data at hand which init /.
mate decisively 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 northern
end of Luzon there are placers, and the
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 /
Nueva Ecija. The most important of the .
auriferous provinces is Camarines NOrte. /
Here the townships of Mambulao, Para /
Gale and Labo are especially well known
as gold-producing localities. Mr.. Drasche,
a well-known German geologist, says
that there were 700 natives at work on
the rich quartz veins of this place at the
time OI his WISH ABOUT twenty -IlVo years
since. At Paracale there are parallel
quartz veins in granite. one of which is I
twenty feet in width and contains a chute
in which the ore is said to assay thirty !
eight ounces of gold per ton. One may
suspect that this assay hardly represented /
an average sample. Besides the localities +
mentioned, many others of this province |
have been worked by the natives The |
islands of Mindoro, Catanduanes, Sihuy- |
an, Panay, Zebu and Bohol are reported !
to contain gold, but no exact data are
available. AT the south end of the small |
island of Panaon, which is just to the !
south of Leyte, there are gold-quartz |!
veins, one of which has been worked to /
some extent. 1t is six feet in thickness, /
and has yielded from IS to 81 per ton. In !
the island of Mindanao there are two J
known gold-bearing districts. the province [
of Surigao, where Placer and other town |
ships show gravels and veins, and the |
province of Misamis. Near the settle
ment of Imponan and on the gulf of Ma
cajalar there are said to be may square |
l6ilometerS of gravel carrying large |
quantities of gold. with which is asso- |
cated platinum. The product of this dis
trict was estimated some years since at |
l50 ounces per month, all extracted by ma
tives with bateas or cocoanut-shell |
dishes.