Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-07-30
BAD WEATHER IN
PHILIPPINES IS
CROP H|NDRANCE

MANILA. =. 1.-The harvest OF the
present sugar crop OF the Philippines
has not been as satisfactory as was
anticipated, on account OF the unt2-
Vorable weather conditions which
have prevailed in the island OF Negroes
the most important sugar district
during much Of the present harVes.
period, following similar conditions
which obtained during the same sea
son last year, which caused the young
cane to be badly damaged from excess
OF water and prevented proper atten
ton to the crop at time when Cul-
tivation was OF material Importance
An encouraging fact in COnnet ton
with the recent harvests, however, is
the improvement OF the grade OF mus
cOvadO sugar manufactured. This is
due largely 10 the gradual adoption OF
more modern methods. which have
been advocated during the PAST three
years by the bureau Of agriculture, III
the Qualification of the juice and the
capitalization OF the sugar. There
are also increased quantities Of cen
trttugal sugar manufactured each year
In the modern factories here, says
Facts About Sugar"
A new factory has been planned fo7
the Pampanga sugar district of LuZon.
This factory will be strictly modern in
every particular and will be built
with an initia! capacity which will
eclipse any of the factories at pres
ent in operation. Due to the high
sucTose content and purity COefficient
IF thu n %hot
vince, factory there should eXper-
fence a profitable run from the very
beginning
This district has been grown to
sugar for more than century and 8
one-crop system only has been en-
ployed, which has caused the land to
be somewhat depleted of its plant food
material. This accounts for the COM
paratively low tonnage obtained per
unit area. While it is true that high
percentage OF sucrOse ratios and pun.
ity COetfiCientS are obtained from the
cane grown there, yet the sugar man
ufactlTer profits more in proportion
from these favorable factors than does
the planter under the present system
of contracting for cane in the Philip
pines.
The modern system of growing cane
by the aid Of irrigation is now favor
ably received by the Filipino planters
at the MindOro Sugar Estate, where
at present IT is not an easy task to
provide enough water to satisfy their
desires, Notwithstanding the fact that
the six-foot tunnel which passes
through a hill to the Busanga river
should supply an abundance of water
for much larger area than that now
under cultivation. This Is in marked
contrast to the condition Of affairs
prevailing last year, when some Of
these same planters not only refused
to apply the irrigation water provided,
but also objected to the cOmpany's
irrigation force doing the work when
they attempted to save the cane crop
from the long drouth. When such
convincing proof as the above results
from the observations Of cane growth
on irrigated and unirrigated planta.
tions in the period Of one year, it is
anticipated that equally encouraging
results will be obtained in other dis
tricts in the near future and that thus
better understanding will be had Of
the most effective method of applying
the water and the proper quantity to
use in order to obtain maximum re-
suits