El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-02-17

Hons Then came free trade with US,
and II jumped to seventy-six millions
This year it is expected to reach
eighty-tWo millions, which is shree
during the last rs years OF Spanish
rule. AS II is now every business IS
growing, and the hemp exports
amounted to 11S.000 tons the last year
Money IN Cocoanuts ana Hemp.
At present the two best money crops
of the islands are hemp or abaca and
cOpra. which Is the dried meat or the
cocoanut The abaca fiber is used for
ropes and ships cables. We use
vast deal OF IL for binding Irvine, and
Il goes in quantities to France and
Switzerland. where IL IS made into fine
laces and hat braids. It is also woven
into cloth, and there are thousands OF
women and girls who are now making
such cloth In different parts OF the
Philippines. We take about so per cent
of the hemp exports, and the best
grades come to our country. The Phil
ipptnes began 10 export this product
90 years ago. and the first shipment
was Il tons. Last year exports amount
ed to 10000 tons. and this sold for
more than $4,000 600.
How would sou like to have cocoa
nut grove2 There are men in the Phil
lppines who have some 10000 trees.
Each tree yields them a dollar and up
ward a year, and all they have to do
is to pick UP the nuts.
This business has been Increasing in
value ever since we took hold Of the
islands. 1t has grown 10 per cent since
1903, and the exports are now running
at about s1O.00O.000 year. They
bring in about oue-fifth Of all that the
Islands sell TO foreign countries, and
the business is capable Of Indefinite
expansion. COcoanut trees will grow
everywhere along the coast. Copra is
better than apples in Oregon All you
nave to do is to plant the cOcoanut
trees and keep down the weeds for
seven or eighL years, when they begin
to bear After that the nuts drop OF
themselves, and they have only to be
taken up and carried to the markets,
In some places the nuts are turned
into cOpra on the plantation, and in
others they are sold as they are.
One dollar a tree is considered
fair yield the world over but there are
trees in the Philippines which bring
in more than s. a year. some Of the
nuts being worth much more than
others. To show the difference in the
value Of the nuts, in samoa IL takes
1000 to produce a ton of copr1, while IN
other islands II takes 5000 OF $500
There are groves in the Philippine ISL
ands where $500 nuts will make a ton
and some at san Remon OF which II
takes less than $500. Our government
is now sending out Information 10 the
people as 20 the best nuts to plant ana
advising them Just how to cultivate
their plantations TO get the best crops
Ny latest information from the ISL
ands is that cocoanuts are now paying
better than anything else. Inc oIl-
Gals say that the copra towns never
know hard times and that the presl-
dent OF one of them complained that
he could get no servants The cocoe
nuts bring in so much that the people
will not work
Sugar and Tobacco.
The Filipinos are not satisfied with
their tobacco trade with the United
States. When the tariff was removed
cigars and to sen them at Havana
prices. With that in view they sent
about 80, 000. 900 the first year, but the