76 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



THE CULTIVATION OF TOBACCO IN THE PHILIPPINES. 



By A. M. SANCHEZ. 



BUREAU OF AGRICULTURE, MANILA, P. I. 



M ^OBACCO was introduced into the Philippines soon after the 

 -*- Spaniards took possession, seed being brought from Mexico by 

 Spanish missionaries. For many years little or no effort was made to 

 restrict or encourage its cultivation, until 1781, when the cultivation 

 and sale of tobacco was declared a state monopoly. In the tobacco- 

 growing districts of Luzon, each family was compelled to grow a cer- 

 tain number of plants and deliver the entire product to the agents of 

 the government; no tobacco could be reserved for the use of the 

 planter. Houses were searched for concealed tobacco and fines im- 

 posed for infractions of the law. These harsh provisions occasioned 

 many riots and disturbances, and the monopoly was finally abolished 

 in 1882. Since then, the cultivation and manufacture of tobacco have 

 been in the hands of private individuals and companies. 



At present tobacco-growing is one of the principal agricultural 

 industries in the Philippines. The greater part of the tobacco is 

 grown in the Island of Luzon, principally in the provinces of Isabela, 

 Cagayan, Union, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and Batangas. Small 

 quantities of tobacco are grown in the Visayan and southern islands, 

 the greater quantities probably being produced in Masbate, Tablas, 

 Panay, Bohol, Leyte, Siquijor, Negros and Mindanao. 



The best quality of tobacco is grown on the light alluvial soils 

 of the Cagayan Eiver, in the provinces of Isabela and Cagayan. 

 Isabela tobacco burns smoothly and freely, with a pleasant taste. The 

 leaves are smooth, small in vein, thin in texture, stretch and cover well, 

 and have an agreeable aroma. 



Philippine tobacco is highly esteemed in the Orient. Its agreeable 

 aroma and flavor have won for it a high place among cigar tobaccos. 

 When we consider the desirable qualities of Philippine tobacco, with 

 the primitive methods of cultivation in use, the imperfect curing and 

 fermentation it receives, and the modern methods of treating the crop 

 in America and other countries, it becomes quite clear that with 

 modern scientific treatment, Philippine tobacco would be greatly im- 

 proved, if not raised to rank among the best tobaccos of the world. 



Soils and Fertilizers. 



In the Cagayan Valley, where the best tobacco is grown, the gen- 

 eral character of the soil is a sandy loam, three feet or more in depth, 



