The San Francisco call., 1910-03-26
RICE MAIN PRODUCT
OF FIELDS OF SIAM
Abundance of Water browns
Out Other Crops

Upper Siam is for the greater part
hilly and covered with Jungle. The
cultivated fields are in the river val
leys. which are rarely more than five
miles in width, and the actual area of
ground under cultivation is very small
except at Lampang and Chiengmai.
The roads in the hills are very linz
tied and chiefly consist of bride paths,
often following the rocky beds of the
streams, which become impossible for
several days during the heavy rains.
Nearly the entire cultivated area is
devoted to rice, which, together with
whatever there may be of other crops,
is consumed locally, except tea, which
is chiefly grown on the hilisideS, and is
transported by boats to places farther
south. In Chiengmai district water is
abundant and is used for irrigation, but
in other places the rains are depended
upon almost entirely, so that in dry
years famine is the result. This could
be avoided by systems of irrigation, as
there is enough water in the rivers to
bring all the plains under cultivation
Land suitable for gardens is not
found in upper Siam, while in lower
Siam it is abundant and is extensively
used for this purpose, especially by the
Chinese The agricultural products of
northern Siam therefore do not affect
the worlds market, and in other lines
teak wood forms about the only export
to foreign countries.
Lower Siam forms for the larger ex
tent a great plain, watered chiefly by
the Menam Chow Phya river, which
during the rainy season floods the
fields, bringing rich sediment and MAX
ing the Menapf4valley one of the rich
est agricultural countries in the world.
On account of the abundance of water
this valley is especially adapted for
rice cultivation, as other crops are lit
orally drowned out. In many places
horticulture is impossible, and trees
will only grow along the river banks or
on artiticially elevated ground.
Rice therefore stands first in the list
of Slams agricultural products. The
average yearly export of rice FOR the
last five years has amounted to 94S,3S9
tons The fiscal year ended March 81,
1909, was record year with 1,02S,671
tons of rice available for export, valued
at S29,6S1,143 while the total value of
all other exports for the same period
amounted to only s7,095,2SS.
The following agricultural products
were also exported during the last fiscal
year: Cardamoms, 250,334 pounds VAL
ued at s70500; cotton. 1,317,693 pounds,
valued at s3S,26S; copra. 54,400 pounds.
valued at sS77; gamboge, 31,016 pounds,
pounds. valued at. s4,515; onions,
2,129,02O pounds, valued at $50, 400;
peas and beans 476I33 pounds, valued
at sS,016; pepper, 3,24s,o00 pounds, val
ued at s197,741; pomelo or grapefruit,
1.35S.429, valued at s15,732; rubber,
20.523 pounds. valued at S7,141: seeds OF
lotus, LUX Krabau, niger, pungtaira and
sesamum, 1,7Ts,1S9 pounds, valued at
$4,000: silk piece goods, 23,499 rolls
and corges, valued at S13S,050, and raw
silk, S6,916, pounds, valued at $77,945;
tamarinds, 433,267 pounds, valued at
s4,320; sticIac 471,s17 pounds, valued
at s4S,S64.
The exports to the United States dur
ing the same period were as follows:
Rice, s141,821; pepper. s7.4S5' rubber,
$1,113; gamboge, $1,0S0; sticlac, $500
The greater portion of Slams agri-
cultural products go to Singapore and
Hongkong.