Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1903-11-13
gross receipts from single croE

should amount TO from $4,000 TO S2o,'
COO gold, according to the Philippine
department Of agriculture, which mas
foru arded TO the bureau OF in,uar ar
fairs of the war department some III
teresting information on this subJecl.
What wheat is TO the occldent rice is
10 the orient, says the New YORK III
bune. but Notwithstanding the fact
that rice is one of the principal agrl-
cultural products Of the Philippine
archipelago its consumption greatly ex-
ceeds It's production.
Statistical Information relative TO I'M
portations during the Spanish regime
is meager and unsatisfactory, though
fragmentary details available seem TO
indicate that under normal conditions
and for period at least there were
consldera bic expectations or this COM
modify TO China 1t is known that
the acreage under cultivation has been
decreased TO one-fourth, as an incident
of the war. cholera, rinderpest and sur
ra. Importations of rice are shown
by the reports Of the insular bureau
to be as follows: During the calender
year 1901, S76211,3S9 pounds; value,
So, l08S41. and 1902, 6s9,46o,Ol'
pounds; value. SS,7S4,3S8. OF this
amount and during the calendar year
1902 Az, s94,601 pounds were received
from the French East Indies and III
090.9S1 pounds from China.
During the present year the decrease
in productions has been so great that
in order to avoid famine the Philippine
government has Imported large quaint
tiles Of rice, which it is selling TO the
people at cost.
The method of cultivation of rice in
the Philippines is In many respects
similar to that practiced in China,
japan. India and other oriental eoun-
tries. The process of preparing the
seed beds, transplanting, pudding the
soil and harvesting the crop ali CON
| form to the practice of other commu'
mites where labor is cheap. The prob
able economic prohibition against the
| introduction Of advanced methods and
the consequent failure of occupation
| of greater portion of a crowded pop
ulatlon dependent upon the soil, which
| will apply TO China and other competi-
| tors, loses It's force of argument In the
| Philippines, with a population of only
about 100000 to an area equal III eX-
| tent to the whole of New England and
| the State of New York. 1t is even fast
| becoming necessity, as wages in
crease under American standard, to
| introduce improved methods in order
| to increase productive capacity neces-
sary for competition with foreign rice.
As an Illustration, 1t is stated that
while the Philippine laborer now re
ceiyes only $40 gold per annum and
board and a Louisiana laborer S2C0
gold and board, yet the former, i'm
peded In part at least by crude meth
DDS, while receiving one-tenth the
wages of the latter, produces only one
| hundredth of the rice.
| There are extensive areas distributed
| throughout the archipelago where
| soils are admirably adapted to the
| growing of rice. In fact, any fairly
| fertile soil that has sufficient clay to
retain moisture Is suited to its needs
Low, level lands are, for many rea
sons, preferable.
| Although rice is water plant good
| drainage is essential to its cultivation
In the Philippines but little attention
is paid to Irrigation and the rains are
depended to inundate the land. Were
advantage taken of the large number
| of strea ms which traverse the country.
dependence need no longer be placed
on the rainy season, and there might
be two resultant crops instead of one
The present dltching and leyying meth
DDS are primitive and need improve