El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-06-21
PHILIPPINE s
ARE RICH IN
RESOURCES
Is the Home of the Mango
Which Is Declared a
Heavenly Food.
STILL CLING TO
PRIMITIVE METHODS

WW TASHINGTON, D. c., June IL
NJ COpra. hemp, sugar and to-
bacco are the principal prod
ucts of the Philippines. The islands
I also possess tremendous timber and
! mineral resources, but lack of trans
/ Portatlon continues to hamper the de-
/ velOpment of the lumber and mineral
industries Rice is a leading product
D buE for a great many years the people
/ have not raised enough for their own
/ consumption. The camOte, a tropical
] sweet potato, is found in every door
/ mans garden. which also is true of
/ corn, potatoes, small vegetables and
/ grains Coffee was an important ar
J tlcle OF export but bugs so devastated
TINS crop q decade before American
/ occupation that il never has regained
I its former status Many tropical
fruits, including the mango, the taste
! OF which is as near fheayen as the
| average human being viii get. the
] orange banana, chico, papaya and Ian
some are found everywhere.
Soil Is Volcanic.
The soil of the islands consists
/ mainly Of volcanic rocks. enriched
with organic matter. A little irriga-
ton induces luNuriant tropical or sub
/ tropical growths either Indigenous OF
! exotic The range or products is very
wide, including those previously men
toned and about 800 fiber plants of
either commercial or local value A
variety OF nuts is grown. the most
important of which are the cOcOnut
and the betelnut- The dried kernels
Of the coConut make cOpra. The beteI-
nut IS the common mans and wOm-
ans "chaW of Lobaccer." Spices such
as peppeH cinnamon and cloves grow
In many parts Of the islands. and with
proper cultivation and knowledge of
marketing is bound to form a valuable
INDUSTRY ElneappleS do well in the
Islands even in the wild state. The
Hawaiian pineapple is famous the
world over, nut the Philippine variety
could easily rival it in both quality
and quantity. Efforts to commercial
lie the product were begun less than
Two years ago, when q company was
formed IN Manila TO produce pineap-
pies on a large scale.
The cocOnut palm constitutes a high
~ important factor in the domestic
economy and welfare Of the islands.
There IS scarcely part of the archi-
pelago in which il does not thrive. Al
though the greater part Of the cOcOnut
trees are religiOusly neglected. they
insist upon giving their owners a
steady profit year after year When
ever & cOcOnut plantation is given
proper care II yields a large and sure
income One OF the prettieSt parts Of
the Islands IS the cOconut region
around San Pablo, Laguna province. |
within few hours of Manila The
cOconur palm has many uses. The milk
OF the coconut is q refreshing drink
is also extracted and this is exceed
lngly profitable.
Manila Cigars Famous.
Philippine tobacco produces the /
famous Manila cigars which are be
coming so popular in the United
States They have been the steady
smoke Of the races OF the Orient for
several decades. The tobacco plant in
the Philippines is Of American origin.
II originally was introduced in the
islands from Mexico by Spanish mis-
sionaries in the latter part of the six
teenth century, and IL is believed that /
cd
States were introduced about two dec |
aces ago. From the time OF its intro I
ducuon until 1871 the Spanish govern ]
EenL 0lu not pay much attention to l
IL but in that year tobacco was made I
a state monopoly on the island Of Liu-
zon But this did not prevent indie 4
z enaenI growers Of the Fisayans from 4
Of their products The gov I
monopoly expired in 1882 In 4
that year 1t supplied so percent Of the /
annual budget but its many evils, in 4
suited in bringing the monopoly to an I
end This led to the growth of flour 4
SElng companies. particularly la /
Ia bacalera," in northern Luzon.
Free Trade Helps Industry.
The establishment Of free trade be-
tween the United States and the Phil /
pplnes IN 1903 gave the tobacco in /
-llStry another tremendous boost. The
100000 cigars e year to the United /
states and are permitted by law to I
ship IN as many as $50, zoo, 900 cigars 4
per annum free Of duty. The big fac
-CIies in Manila turn out millions of I
ISarets day, the best grades sell
ng In packages Of 80 for cents.
American money The cigaret is one
y the necessities OF life in the Philip
pines and even the government aIIots
Zach prisoner a certain number each
lay
The Hemp Fiber Monopoly.
The great Philippine monopoly is
Temp fiber. 1t is extracted from a
ipecies Of the plantain family which
n growing closely resembles the ba-
lana plant There are many varieties |
# hemp, Calcutta. bOWstring and I
Bombay hemp, but none Of these com
)are with the famous Manila hemp. /
NCne other in the world compares with ]
{ either in tensile strength, lightness
n length. Only in the Philippines
iOes II grow luXuriantly in the wild
tate and attempts to introduce it for !
)Ul poses of cultivation in places where !
loosely related species thrive. have
net with little or no success. Up to |
625 practically no hemp was exported. I
About that time primitive, but more
u less systematic, efforts to cultivate ]
dly expanded. By 1887 the value of /
aW and manufactured hemp exceeded !
hat of any other exported product.
Z continued It's prominence excepting
n 1892 and 1893 when sugar took the /
lrst place and in 1912 when il was
cupSed by small margin by COpra-
Sugar "A Leading Crop.
Sugar has been cultivated in the ISL
uds for centuries. According to a
ersion accepted in some parts Of Lu-
on and the NlSayans, the Chinese in
reduced sugar and legend hath it that
hey brought 1t from FOrmOsa- 1t is I
lsc said that Batavia supplied the
roper cane to the Visayas, and that I
he sugar of LuzOn springs from Ia
It'll stock The fact that the old meth
DIS Of sugar cultivation are the same |
s. those employed in Formosa and
nat the same Chinese names of in /
-uence are still used strongly cor }
1Eorates this theory Five varieties !
sugar cane are grown in the islands
roper, white, red, green. striped, and [
ne black with white rings at the
hints.
There are no sugar refineries worthy
Z the name in the islands although 1
ne or two are found in the sugar cen
rs Of the Visayas A COMPANY of
e American sugar capitalists, oper-
ting under the name of the Poole
indicate, owns $1,000 acres on the
nall island of Mindoro, about five {
ours from Manila. and are spending ! +
l-iII q nd g