Evening star., 1901-12-06
FOSTER NATIVE FARMING
BUREAU OF AGRICULTURE TO BE Es-
TABLIsHED IN THE rFuIrPINEs.
The widest Field Oh the Department.
Prof. F. Lamson-scribner to
Be I'm Charge

| Possibly the widest field aever opened to
an officer of the Agricultural Department
has been assigned to Prof F. Lamson-
scribner, at present CHIEF OF the bureau of
| agrostology On February / next he win
| sail with his family for the Philippine Is
| lands and will there establish complete
bureau of agriculture to investigate pres
ent agricultural conditions In the arch
| ipelago, to disseminate knowledge of ad-
| vanced agricultural methods and to assist
| in the development to their fullest possible
| extent of the practically unlimited agri-
| cultural opportunities of the islands With
agriculture in the Philippines conducted
along modern lines, 1t Is believed the Unit
| ed States can grow in it's own soil every
| vegetable product now used In the world
| Prof. Scribner's appointment was made
by the Secretary of War recently in pur-
| suance Of an act of the United States Phil
| ippine commission. That legislation Gre
| ated. under the Department of the In
| terror, an 'insular bureau of agriculture,
which shall conduct investigations and dis
| seminate useful information with reference
| to the agricultural resources. of the Philip
| pine Islands, the methods Of cultivation at
| present in vogue and their improvements
the practicability of introducing new and
valuable agricultural products the intro
| duction Of new domesticated animals and
| the improvement of the breeds of do
lands. and shall In general seek to promote
| the development Of the agricultural re-
sources Of the archipelago" The terri
| torial field Of the new bureau Is to include
1.-The government farms at Magalang. in
| the province Of Pampamga, and at La
| Carlota, in the province of Western Ne
gros, and the government agricultural ex-
| pertinent stations in the provinces of Ilo-
| ilo, Cebu, Isabella, Illocos and Albay.''
Unlimited Agricultural Possibilities,
THE territory included in that assign
| ment," said Prof. Scribner recently. 'is
| practically unlimited in its agricultural
| possibilities. 1t will produce everything
known to temperate climates, approximate
| ly everything known to the tropics and
several articles of food and Industrial use
not grown in any other section of the
| United States Just the mere enumeration
pines is an apparently endless task AS an
indication merely man can devote his
| farm to lemons, Indian corn, cocoa, sugar,
| sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, 120 kinds of
rice, wheat, coffee, bananas, mangoes, tea,
grapes, figs muberries, eucalyptus apples.
peas, cherries, peaches, apricots, berries
of thousand varieties, vegetable seeds
and about anything else you happen to
think of.
Several of those vegetable growths
should receive some attention. There are
three varieties of good coffee, very good
coffee, produced now 1t may be others
can be developed. Of the three now grown
one is native product and has a very
fine flavor. Tea of nearly every known
grade Is already cultivated. Over thirty
tons of sugar, not cane, but sugar. are
grown to the acre, and the Philippine sugar
plantation produces three crops a year.
Alfalfa will grow six crops to the year.
With the soil properly fertilized no one
can tell how much those islands can pro-
duce of these commodities. Forage Is one
of the present problems Of the Philippine
government. 1t should be very easy to
solve when modern methods are applied to
the production of fodder. I have here on
my desk from the National Museum a COL
lection of over eighty grasses now growing
there. AS general proposition almost any
grass is good for fodder. The uplands are
all covered with grasses and are said to be
equal as grazing tracts to any in the
world.
Forecast of Future Prosperity.
"One region in the islands, not more than
135 miles north of Manila, has an elevation
of 5000 feet, a temperature which never
exceeds IS or falls below 40, and can grow
ever product Of the temperate regions
There are abundant lowlands for the growth
OF loWland rice and plenty of ground suit
able for the production Of uplond rice Indiga
VIII prove one of the most valuable export
products: I've no doubt but that the cof-
Zee and tea industries will thrive, although
oVer-devotion to sugar has temporarily
ecllpsed them. The opportunities open to
| the Philippine farmer, when once he has
pioW, are almost unlimited, / think"
According to the creative act Professor
Scr1bner is to submit to the Philippine
commission plan for the organization of
the bureau, framed nearly as may be
after the organization of the Department
OF Agriculture Of the United States with
such variations as may be required by the
dlnerent conditions in the two countries
and the provisions Of an act providing for
the establishment of government labora-
tories for the Philippine Islands, He shall
nave general supervision and control over
the work of the bureau and shall appoint
It's subordinate officers and employees, sub
Ject to the provisions of the civil service
act and of act %. He shall discharge all
such other duties in connection with the
work of the bureau as may be assigned to
MIN by the Secretary of the Interior"
secretary Root made his selection after
consultation with Secretary Wilson and on
the latter's mendation. The Secretary
or Agriculture will also provide for the es-
taplishment or an experiment station, or
ganlzed as experiment stations in the
United States are organized but he pur-
poses to make the Philippine station sub
ordinate to the Secretary Of War in order
that the entire Philippine bureau NAV be
u1ider one head. The new chief of the bu-
reau hopes to take with him to the Philip
pines the nucleus of his force-a capable
grasses, a plant culture and plant breeding
expert, a dairy expert, botanist and va
rlous assistants, although several of the Of
noes Will be combined in one man. Moth
ing mas yet been really determined. how
ever as to the size or personnel of Pro-
IeSsor Scr1DnerS stoff or the number of
MS assistants which his bureau may finally
require.
SCHEDVTTE SInNIUTpEn