The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-11-06

| Agriculture, has received very inter
esting letter from Prof. ]. w. Gilmore,
| formerly an instructor in agriculture
at the Normal School, and now in the
service of the Philippine Commission
in the province of Negroes. He gives
very entertaining account of the
growing of sugar cane in the islands,
and of the crude methods in vogue, and
bespeaks great prosperity for the coun-
try as soon as Americans take hold.
Conditions there are still very unset
tied and Mr.. Gilmore says that it is
necessary for the Americans to go arm
ed in order to make the natives show
the proper respect. His letter in full
is as follows:
La Carlota. Occidental Negroes,
p. l., September %. 1901.
Dear Mr. Smith-We are at our des-
tination at last. Our journey to Ma
Mia was very pleasant, but in getting
here we have had storms and rain
enough. So much had been said about
the peaceful conditions existing in Ne
gros that we were surprised to find
upon our arrival here that we had to
buckle on our guns in order to obtain
respect on the roads; and the mere
presence of the gun is not always SUI
ficient, for frequently the soldiers pa
trolling the country have had occasion
to use them. During the past two or
three weeks some fifteen twenty
bolo men have been killed in this dis
trict. This unsettled state of affairs
seems to be due to the setting up OF
civil government, and to the with
drawal Of some of the troops. The off,
GERS whom 1 have talked with think
that both of these were very unwiSe
steps. and it seems that they are right,
for these are treacherous people. Both
officers and men who have been here
for the past three years, say they
would not trust the people farther than
they can see them. This condition is
unfortunate, for officials who come
here to look into the conditions are
met by thirty or forty of the leading
seniors of the place and given the glad
hand of welcome with mucho gusto,
and few presents, and the commits
sion says they are nice people. But
very little dependence can be placed
in them. How could anyone expect it?
If a new cabbage was found in the
wild woods where it had for genera
tions been struggling against the OPP
preston of the larger plants, no one
would expect it to take first prize dur
ing the first two or three years Of its
cultivation. These people have had to
live under the dominating hand of
Spain for several hundred years, and
1 do not think it is surprising that they
do not respond to the prospect of a
free government. If military rule
could continue here for a number of
years, and justice be given where jus
tice is due, and If money was spent
in improving the roads and in a few
instances in building railroads where
shipping interests demand it, with
these and the public schools, 1 believe
that the country would progress more
rapidly and permanently than it can
10 no
government AT present a police SER
vice is being established in some of the
islands. Each province is 10 have an
American inspector, and his force will
be natives. Here is an instance of
how it works. At CaStiliana, a village ,
about eight miles from here, on the
night of September 6, were nine police
men. They slept. The ladroneS visit
ed them. cut off five heads, wounded
three, and one got away. The ladrones
captured their arms and ammunition !
and / suppose they think the policemen
are dead easy. 1 am afraid il will be
long time before these robber bands
will be entirely driven out. They have
a stronghold in the mountains, and it
is hard to find them. During the past
two years they have burned the houses
and machinery on good many sugar
estates.
Our estate, La Granja. as it is called, |
is situated at the base of the noun !
tains about twelve miles inland from |
San Enrique, and about six miles from |
here. The tract consists of about 1915 |
acres, but much of it is unfit for Guilt |
walton. About seventy-five acres are !
this year in cane, and a small portion |
in rice. There are small patches of |
cacao. coffee and betel nuts, but dur !
ing the past three years the place has |
gone to ruin. The machinery has been |
neglected. the instruments and nipple |
ments have been broken, burned or /
stolen. The land has an elevation of |
400 to 500 feet, and 1 think is very we'll |
adapted for diversified crops, and es- |
pecially for cacao, coffee, sugar, hemp, |
citrus fruits, peaches and plums, to-
bacco and some forage crops. Vegeta-
bles will also grow well here. But in |
order to bring the work up to what it
should be, a good deal of money will |
have to be spent.
The methods of sugar making here
are very primitive. The cane crusher
is a machine having three rollers, three |
or four feet long. The juice is boiled |
down in large watts over a wood fire
The product is a dark brown sugar,
which sells for about $1.30 per hun
dred weight. The sugar lands here are
valued at from So to SIS per acre, but
the titles are very insecure. Fortunes |
can be made out of sugar here when
land can be had. and improved meth
DDS introduced. Our land is very Door
|
1t is very much out of the way for
visitors. otherwise IT would be a fine
piece of land with good prospects.
have recently sent report to the de-
partment at Manila, and can do Moth
ing until it is acted upon. The cane |
crop will be ready in about two |
and it will take all that time
to get the buildings and machinery in |
repair, besides it will cost about as |
much money as the~crop is worth My
plan is to sell the cane in the field |
to some of the nearby planters, and
put in the latest improved machinery, |
etc, but do not know what the de-
partment will do about 1t. 1 only wish
the department at Washington had |
charge of the agricultural work Of the
islands Until things are more pacified |
It will be hard to do good work, for |
1t does not seem natural to go about |
my work with a gun about me- but il
seems the only alternative just now.
was somewhat surprised to find that