Iron County register., 1899-03-30
Report Of Dr.. Knapp, Sent % In.
vestigate in Japan, China and
the Philippine Islands.
A FIELD FOR AMERICAN ENTERPRISE.
Principal Agricultural PfOductE-
Lands and Population of China
The Products and Industries of
Our Oriental Possessions.

! and reported to Secretary Wilson the
results OF his labors. He was instruct
( ed to investigate such products of the
farms. fields and forests of those coun-
! tries as might be advantageous to the
! agricultural industries of the United
States. Some of the observations of
DIR. Knapp relating to the products of
! Japan already have been published in
/ Il preliminary report. On this branch
! of investigation. however be has the
following additional to say:
| No Fear of Japanese Competition.
| ".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 prod
! ucts, drawn from the United States.
/ The diffusion of knowledge and the in
/ PRODUCTION 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 stimu-
| lGting consumption by the common
/ people. Future progress must be main
ly made in the direction of manufac-
lures. IN such event the food for the
operatives. the cotton and other fiber
material for the fabrics, the lumber
and iron for the construction of the
factories and much Of the machinery
/ will be drawn from the United States.
No Home System of MaEufacture.
"Of the fabrics. cotton and wooi
alone have made much progress under
the factory system, and this is owing
to the fact that they were not pro-
duced to any extent in the empire and
hence no home system OF manufacture
had been established for them.
Principal Agricultural Products.
THE principal agricultural products
imported into Japan are wheat. -four
sugar, cotton. butter. cheese and meat.
| The annual value of these articles is at
present between %2+.0OO,O00 and $25.-
000,G00 in gold. Under favorable treaty
regulations Japan will import from the
United States nearly ali her flour. but
ter. cheese and meat, three-foUrthS of
the raw cotton required and from the
Philippines nearly their entire super
fUous output of sugar
Lands and Population OF China.
Regarding China, the report says the
great area, the large percentage OF fer
tile lands and the immense population
of China staggeTs the observers on the
threshold of investigation. However,
as in Japan. radical changes in agri-
cultural methods or products must be
made very slowly. if at all. because the
food supply can not be materially re-
duced or even changed with safety.
Large areas devoted to fiber plants for
the promotion of manufacturers would
be a dangerous invasion of the areas
necessary for the food supply, and
must be speedily followed by importa-
tions from the United States. DIR.
Knapp was deeply impressed by the
alert. industrious and frugal character
Of the Chinese.
Rice Culture in the Philippines.
From China DR.. Knapp proceeded to
the Philippines. Arriving at Manila
he went by rail as far as San Fernando.
pas sing through the rice section to the
east and north of Manila. on to the
sugar lands to the north. The yield
per acre, according to the best authori-
ty, is about 900 pounds of hulled rice
on lands under rainfall irrigation sole
ly, and 1000 pounds on lands artificial
~ irrigated. This shows very careless
husbandry.
The Sugar Industry.
The rich clay loan soil about San
Fernando is well 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 conceiva.
BILE. The sugar is drained upon the
open-kettle plan. The proprietor fur
nishes land and factory and the tenant
furnishes seed. does all the work in the
field, delivers the cane to the mill and
supplies most of the hands for making
the sugar. The proprietor receives
ohe-half the sugar and all the mOlasses
The tenant, in theory. is allowed the
remainder. but in practice he usually |
receives about two-fifths of the sugar
DIR. Knapp was informed that in the |
islands of Panay. Negros and Cebus. !
the sugar farms and factories are much /
more improved that in Luzon.
Sugar lands produce from 5000 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 produc- |
ton of heterogeneous foods as the Jap |
anese, hence are less muscular.
Valuable Woods and Public Lands
The Philippine islands abound III
valuable woods for building, furniture,
dye woods and some yielding costly !
gums. According to the authority
nearly two-thirds of the land is still
public and passes to the United States
with the title. If opened for settle
ment to soldiers. many of our young
men will remain and become perma-
nent settlers. Some associations OF !
this kind have already been organized
The price of improved land ranges
from 81 to $50 per acre (gold), depend
ing upon the location and yalce of the
improvements
Tobacco and Hemp Culture.
Spanish statistical reports and inter
views with Manila exporters satisfied
the doctor of the prosperity of the to-
bacco and hemp industries under
normal conditions.
Other Agricultural Products.
Millet, maize, sago 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, pineaples, oranges, bananas.
grapes. figs and many others fruits
grow almost spontaneously.