The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-25

only trees but shrubs and vines There were also some Para rubber trees brought from the Amazon valley. The Ceara rubber did not do, but the Para rubber trees, which produce nearly all the rubber of commerce. have thriven and the bureau of agriculture has ar ranged to distribute 5o,000 Para seed | lngs to the proper localities. These seedlings are now growing in the gov ernment nurseries, and they will be put out under the direction of the bu- | reau and carefully watched. If they do as well as is expected, we will have a rubber export from the Philippines which vii form one of the most valua- ble assets of the island. It is the Para rubber that has been introduced into Malaysia and the Dutch East Indies, 1 having caused a great boom which has caused speculation in London and throughout the east.
 Developing the Silk Industry | Another great possibility for the Phil ] ippine islands is in silk culture. It is I known that the silk worm has been grown there from generation to genera ton. and MT. Charles H. Banks of the l bureau of science at Manila says that nine crops of cocoons can be annually l produced. This is about four times as | many as some of the other silk coun- | tries have and there is now under way
 
 worms there which will outlay all oth- l CTS. The bureau of science is making a | book to instruct the people how to | build up the industry. It gives direc- tions as to how to raise the cocoons, how to feed the young worms, and also how 10 prepare the raw silk for spin 1 ming. As it is now, the islands import the most of its raw silk from China and l they mix it with the fibre of the is- | lands in weaving just cloth and other cloths of high price.
 The bureau of agriculture says the mulberry tree can he grown all over the l islands and that 1t will furnish food for the worms within two years after plant 1 ing. A 3-year-old tree will give enough leaves for thousand silk worms and two and one-half acres will support one thousand trees. which will feed more than three million silk worms. This number of worms sh ould produce several thousand pounds of cocoon. In short, it is estimated that the silk busi- ness will yield something like thous- and dollars an acre and that 1t will steadily grow as to the profits. Connected with the Agricultural college tfere is no wa model silk building in which thousands of cocoons are being produced every month and where the ! students are given practical instruction | in rearing the worms.
 BniNpplne Lands
 1 The total amount of land in the Phil ippines is said to be about 74,000,000 | acres Of this only about fifth is owned by individuals, and the other 1 four-fifths belongs to the government Uncle Sam has been very careful in granting concessions for this land. Com i paratively few farms have been given away and there will be no waste of gov ernment property. either mineral or ag- v.i all |. t< United States. The friar lands, which covered about 420,000 acres. were most | " good farming property. They were bought by the government at a cost of $',23s.0oo, which was Just about as innch as we paid for Alaska, the money peing raised by bonds secured by the
 siands. These lands are being sold and homesteads are being given out on the pnblic lands to Filipinos. The number or homestead applications are small. 1 There were less chan 150O last year. all though the sales of public lands have increased All lands are sold with Tor rens titles, and this system of land transfer is becoming common through . l out the islands. There is a vast amount of good lands that will be eventually Drought into cultivation, and the arch : | ipelago will some day not only produce 1 all it's own food but export rice to China, Japan and other countries Of the lar t1St l@tSl year tue dfnOunt paid fOf rice to outside countries was more than | $3. 900, 900.
 | In connection with the rice lands the government is openin gup some irriga tinn works which will redeem thousands of acres. Rice must have plenty of wa ter. and although the rainfall of the Philippines is heavy, every now and ! then comes drouth which affects the | rice crop This will be remedied by Irrigation. The bureau of public works has just completed a project which has redoenaed 10000 acres, ard during tl,c | present year it will have another under 1 way which will reclaim 75.0On. ard 1t Is estimated that suc, work in the centrs valley of Luzon alone will increase the amount of the crop to a value of more than s3,0oo.0o0 year There are 700.- 900 acres in that valley that might be
 irrigated. which if done will add to its present productivencss more than Sco,- ooc. .noo per annum.
 The Forests of the Philippines The government Is taking good care of the forests. It has kept out the tim Iber robbers, and they are practically as ] they were when we took hold of the is- lands Hero md there concessions have been granted, and there are sixty steam