Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-06-29
PHILIPPINES A
LAZY PEOPLE
Great Opportunities for Profitable
Farming Going to Waste in Our
Western Possessions.
AS SEEN BY VIM. e. cuRTIss
American Capital and Yankee Energy
Necessary to the Development
Of the Philippines.

~ S'H
ply their W wants, although the
soil produces in abundance whenever
1t has a chance. The fiber of Filipino
garden truck is rather coarse, and
the flavor is not so good as that
grown In temperate regions, but that
Is the rule all through the tropics.
At least one-third of the vegetables
offered for sale in the Manila mar
kets is imported from China, being
brought over in junks.
The native is too lazy to work a
garden. You will notice as you drive
around in the suburbs of the city that
very few of the cabins have gardens
attached to them, and when you find
n it 10 badly cared for. The FLIP
inc loosens up the ground, throws in
a few seeds, rakes the soil over them
and lets nature do the rest. He de-
votes his entire attention to breed
ms nSHlilb toNhS, anu iiNNs oh Jun
anas. Last year, through the efforts
of the bureau of agriculture, there
was a decrease In the importation Of
vegetables, especially potatoes. on
ions, beans and peas, from China,
from $71S,432 in 1902 TO s513,537 IN
1908. The bureau of agriculture is do
ing good work in introducing seeds
suitable to the soil but unfortunately it
has not been able, up to this time,
to produce a serum that will cure in
dolence. and the indifference of the
Filipino to his own interests Is ex-
a~sperating to those who are trying
to help him.
Nearly $500, 900 worth of eggs were
imported from China last year, and
a corresponding amount of other SIM
pie food that might be raised by ev-
cry villager.
And what is even more discourag-
ing, the amount of food imported in
to the islands increases every year.
In 1899 the total was only 1898, 169;
in 1900, $5,483, SOC; In 1901; $8,158,-
794; in 1902, $~10,S46,142, and in 1903,
$14,675,522.
During the last year. 1t should be
explained, an unusually large guam
tity of rice was imported by the gov.
eminent in order to supply a deficit
caused by the drought, but there was
an increase in a dozen other different
items which should be furnished en-
tirely by the local farmers If they
had any industry or enterprise. But
they will not work in the soil. They
can not be induced to raise enough
rice to feed themselves, although the
area suitable to that staple is unlim-
tied. In 1901 $5,49O,952 worth of rice
was imported; in 1902, $6,57S,4S1; in
1908, $1O,061, 1928, and, in addition to
that, more than $4,000, 900 worth OF
other vegetables and articles of food;
while the imports of beef, pork and
other animal products have increased
from $18S, 026 in 1899 to 81, ,156 in
1903.
This, you will recognize, is a most
unhealthy condition to find in an az
ricultural country where millions up
on millions of acres of fertile ground
have never been turned by a plough.
The agricultural department Is doing
its best by introducing modern meth
DDS. labor-saving machinery. seeds
and otherwise encouraging farming
and truck gardening, but 1t makes
very little Roadway. There are sev-
eral experimental farms, and Profess
or Worcester has imported machin-
cry and implements suitable to this
country. He invites native farmers
to come down and examine the Amer
lean methods as there displayed, and
some of them show moderate amount
of interest, but very few have depart
ed from the ancient modes OF cultlva-
ton and harvest, and, as for the or
binary peasant farmer, he cllngs stub
bornly to the crooked stick that an
swers for a plough and the long knife
which is almost his only other imple-
ment.
The soil and climate of the Philip
pines are especially adapted to the
cultivation of coffee. It has been
grown here for more than a century,
but 1t is impossible to interest the
natives in the industry. although they
can look across into the neighboring
island of Java and see hundreds OF
men who have made large fortunes in
coffee orchards that are the best In
the world. Coffee can be raised In
any of these islands, where the hills
rise to an elevation of 1000 feet and
the latitude and atmosphere required
is the most healthful and delightful
in the archipelago, or anywhere in
the east. A white man a perform
heavy field labor without any more
fatigue than in Iowa or New York.
The profits upon coffee are larger
than upon most of the staples, II re,
uuires comparatively little capital and
the crop Is almost certain. Yet the
people of the Philippine islands i'm
port half of their supply from Java
and the other East India islands.
The same remarks apply to the cul
tivation of cacao. which will grow In
| the low lands with vigor and luxur
lance and pays a big profit, but II
this industry and others are ever de
veloped it will be done by Americans
or Chinese.
These are only a few OF many
tempting opportunities in the way o
agriculture over here, which are al
most entirely overlooked by the ma
tiyes. And these conditions are
standing answer to the argument
used against the admission Of Chi
nese labor.
It is true that the islands have jus
suffered from a terrible drought
From the list OF January to the las
of August. 1903. there was no rain
fall. The usual rainy season wa.
entirely omitted by nature, and FOL
lowing the drought came a plague 0
locusts. which consumed almost ey
erything green upon the surface u