The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-09

when the matter Is carefully considered.
There IL no doubt that the value Of the
rice sent to Manila from Saigon, Rangoon
and Bangkok is often from s. 600 600 to
- ,OOO.OC0 year. But in these same years
the exports Of Philippine hemp, raw sugar
and tobacco may amount TO more than
800 900 600. II IL fact that most OF the
rice imported into the Philippines usually
goes TO the best hemp and tobacco regions,
where the people, though rice eaters, raise
none Of the grain. because they are engaged
IN the cultivation Of more profitable crops.
Most Of the eaters OF the imported rice are
richer and more civilized than either tho
rice growers OF Cochin China, who helped
10 feed them, or those of the Philippines who
raise the home supply.
The Philippines are abundantly able
10 grow all the rice they eat and TO sell
lnrge quantities abroad; but It Is doubtful
II the archipelago will ever compete with
the great rice-eNportinC countries. Burma
Siam and Cochin China, because the Fill
pinos can raise moro profitable crops.
II Is the testimony OF all who have
studied the economic conditions Of the Phil
ippines that the minimum profit Of the
sugar growers exceeds the maximum profit
OF the rice growers. In commercial
sense. paddy planting has not proved profit
able This il the reason why few take
II UP on large scale, The work Of planting
and gathering the crops Is a congenial
occupation for the native and his family,
but he raises little more than his own
household requires
Ii is to be hoped and expected TINT under
our tuition rs to the best methods Of cult
waiting the crop and economizing labor
the Philippines before great while will
at least raise all the rice they need. One
reason why at present they are not self
sufficing in this industry is on account Of
their extremely primitive methods Of
cultivating and harvesting the crop II
We were to see n paddy field when the crop
IL ready for cutting it might surprise us
to find that even so crude n labor saving
implement M the sickle is only here and
there employed: we should see the native,
equipped with n small knife, cutting Of
the heads Of the grain from the stalk, one
nj a time. No slower or more laborious
method could he employed, Here and
there we should observe TINT the paddy is
separated from the straw by the use Of
fails, but II IL far more common for women
and girls 70 perform this operation by
treading the grain under their feet We
should zee them also removing the coarse
husk from the white grain by the time
killing work Of pounding the paddy in
wooden nortars The winnowing process
also is a surprising, operation; The rice
and chaff are placed In a fiat basket and
then tossed into the air, the more rapidly
falling grain being caught in the basket In
time to allow some Of the chan to fall to
the ground, This performance IL repeated
many times, until only the clean white
kernels remain In the basket
The natives raise over twenty kinds Of
paddy, which may be roughly divided into
lowland rice (macan,. growing on aluyia
soil under water, and hin rice lpaga), which
does not require irrigation and is OF inferior
quality. The hill rice yields only half as
much Us the lowland rice. though as n
rule only one crop Of low land Ia raised In
year while two or three crops OF hill
rice may be grown.
over great deal Of territory that IL still
unutilized; there Is no doubt that the ex-
tension ~ this industry will be promoted
and that the time Ia not far distant when
the Philippines will no longer bc dependent
upon other countries for their most Inn.
portant food resource