The Indianapolis journal., 1899-01-29
GOOD SOIL FOR CORN.
Inquiry Into Agricultural Resources
of the PhiIipDines.

Washington Letter in Chicago Post.
The administration purposes finding out
as nearly as may be precisely what will be
done toward making the Philippines of ag-
ricultural value to the world Naturally
this work falls to the lot of Secretary of
Agriculture Wilson. Speaking to-day of
what the administration intends doing he
said:
1--WE expect to learn more about the re-
sources OF the Philippines in three months
than the Spaniards did in 800 years Fortu-
nately for our purposes we have in the vol
unteer army now at Manila force Of men
fully competent to do this work. In fact, it
would be a comparatively easy matter to
discover among our volunteers enough 'olo-
gists' to run an entire government with all
the scientific attachments of a modern in
stitution Some months ago my attention
was called to the fact that A. p. Hayne,
professor of Viticulture and olive culture in
the University of California, and Of the ag-
ricultural experiment station of that State
was attached to the volunteer force in the
Philippines and second lieutenant of Bat
terry A of the California Heavy Artillery
knowing Mr.. Hayne to be a man or scien-
tific attanments, / requested the secretary
of war to detail him to make a thorough
examination of the agricultural resources
of the Philippine islands. Mr.. Hayne has
organized a force of forty. or fifty men to
aid him in his researches. Among these gen.
tlemen, who are all in the volunteer army,
are eight or ten graduates of agricultural
colleges. They are not confined to Califor-
MIA in point of residence, but come from
various sections of the Northwest. AS I un-
derstand from private advices received from
in entomology, forestry. biology and several
other branches of scientific agriculture.
up to the present time" continued Sec
retary Wilson, MIR. Hayne and his force
have not had an opportunity to investigate
the resources even of the Island of Luzon.
This is due in part at least 10 the fact that
it takes a long time for communications TO
travel between Washington and Manila.
Owing to the great expense OF cable COM
municatiOn between these two points We
are obliged to depend on the mails, and it
requires about two months to send letter
from here and receive an answer, and vice
versa. Now that peace is formally declared,
after the ratfcations of the treaty have
been exchanged between Spain and the
United States the work under Mr.. Hayne
will be pushed forward vigorously. Know
ing the character of men under him / feel
safe in the prediction l make that we will
learn more about the islands in three months
than the Spanish did IN the centuries they
held sway and sovereignty over them"
Have you received anything in the way
Of a report from Mr.. HayDe up TO the pres
ent timer the secretary was asked.
Officially nothing has come from him,
replied the secretary, except a requlsltion
for some necessary supplies with which TO
conduct the work. These / have ordered
sent and have done everything in the power
OF the department to facilitate his work of
investigation. one or the gentlemen IN the
department, however, has received a letter
from Mr. Hayne in which he says he
cured variety of vegetable seeds from the
commlssary supplies and planted them in
the grounds of a small agricultural expert
ment station established by the SpRniards
near Mania. VI cOAtHes AT tie uate the
letter was written 1t was impossible to say
what would be the outcome of this first ex-
pertinent in a tropical island conducted un-
der the auspices of this department. for it
was then sec d time, not harvest. / feel u e,
from the reports we have received of condi-
tions OF soil and atmosphere in the islands
that many of the vegetables and some OF the
grains common to the United States can be
produced In the Philippines, though doubt
less the southernmost and northernmOst
islands viii differ considerably from each
other In this matter. / do not think that
wheat, rye, oats or barley can be raised
there with o profit. but think maize or