Vol. XIII. No. 31.' 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS, 



143 



they would simply supervise tLe work in elementary 

 Tural science in some of the higher classes in existing 

 schools. I think that the time may very well come when 

 schools somewhat similar to the winter schools of Germany 

 may find a useful place in India also, but the time is, in my 

 opinion, not yet ripe. Rural education, as a whole, has 

 first to be developed. It is a question, however, whether 

 continuation classes similar to those which are proving so 

 popular in parts of Germany and in Japan might not be 

 experimented with. Here again careful supervision by 

 competent officers would be required. In connexion with 

 this work, the question of clubs among the boys for the 

 growing of selected crops according to improved methods on 

 their parents' lands, should also Vje considered. 



The idea of using megass as a source of carbon for the 

 removal of the dark coloured substances from sugar liquids 

 is explained in •Sugar, for March 1914 All forms of carbon 

 are not of equal use for decolorizition purposes, but mega.ss 

 carbon has a very considerable value, and when the sugar 

 turnout is large, its use may be economical and result in 

 en;ib]ing a product to be made with non-sweating properties 

 and incidentally lessening the sulphur account. 



CACAO IN THE PHILIPPINES. 



Situated in precisely the proper geographical region for 

 successful cacao culture, the world has been puzzling over 

 the non-production of cacao in the Philippine Archipelago. 

 There are three or four g( od reasons for this apparent lack 

 of interest, or, to put it more harshly, the failure of the 

 Filipino planters thus far to take their stand as they could 

 and should among cacao producing countries. 



Cacao is by no means an easily managed crop. Again, 

 drought and typhoons do not go well with high production 

 in cacao plantations. Moreover, any crop left for the most 

 part uncared for, so that fungus diseases and insect pests 

 are allowed to do their worst upon the branches, leaves, 

 flowers and fruits, is almost certain to develop a very large 

 number of enemies, which militate against anything like 

 financial success in its culture. 



There is certainly a good market for all the cacao the 

 Filipino planters can produce, for, being one of the staple 

 crops of the world, and having comparatively few fluctu- 

 ations in price in the wholesale market, the planter runs no 

 risks in the way of overproduction, or dangers from long 

 storage of the raw product before the sale thereof. In other 

 words, the Filipino planter has a hungry market to be fed: 

 the local market is keen but practically beneath his notice; 

 both America and Europe can swallow up a few thousand 

 tons without in any way affecting the demand, or the 

 average wholesale price. 



Just recently a simple and rapid method of propagating 

 cacao by buddage has been worked out by the horticulturist 

 of this Bureau. While shield budding will not revolutionize 

 cacao culture, it will do more than any other method has 

 ever done toward standardizing the varieties of cacao, i.e., 

 it will make possible the regulation of the varieties grown 

 on any given plantation in any country. At present three to 

 five types vrith numerous modifications and hybrids between 

 them are found on every large cacao estate; the seeds from 

 these different varieties naturally have different requirements 

 as to fermentation, drying, etc , and therefore, standardization 

 of output has been almost impossible. By following the new 



method now placed before the public in this number of the 

 Review, the planter can select his variety, and at the same^ 

 time propagate from his most prolific trees of that variety, 

 so that within two years from placing of the buds he will 

 have changed his plantation from a haphazard mixture of 

 several varieties, and from a collection of good, bad, and 

 indifferent trees to a regulated plantation having one, two or 

 three varieties, all the trees of which are known to be heavy 

 producers. This means that the planter can not only assure 

 himself of heavy crops, other things being equal, but he 

 can be a producer of the best Criollo, for instance, and put 

 upon the market only cacao of recognized merit, entirely free 

 from admixture of indifferent or low-grade beans'. 



In the fiscal year 1912, 982,937 kilos, of crude cacao 

 were imported into the Philippine Islands for local 

 manufacture, or rather use; besides this, some 21,370 kilos. 

 of prepared or manufactured cacao and chocolate were im- 

 ported here; the total value of cacao and cacao products (not 

 including cicao butter) was P646,834, as against P.523,870, 

 in 1911; and on top of these rather large figures we should 

 place a good portion of the 1,000 tons of peanuts (mostly 

 from China) imported in 1912, for in local practice the crude 

 'bean' is adulterated rather heavily with peanuts. This 

 means that P800,000 worth of cacao with its 'mixtures' was 

 consumed here that year — a very good opening for the local 

 producer, even without considering the excellent export 

 opportunities. 



The Philippine planter now has an opportunity to acquire 

 not only an -unviable reputation as a cacao producer, but 

 with careful attention to the details of modern cacao culture 

 he can have a large income with little outlay; and once 

 familiar with the characteristics and whims of the plant, he 

 will probably forsake a number of heretofore more or less 

 popular crops for one which is now coming to be recognized 

 as one of the most interesting and highly profitable crops of 

 the Tropics. fThe Philippine Agricultural Revieii.\ Vol. VII, 

 No. 1.) 



Agricultural Industries in the Straits Settle- 

 ments, 1912.— The following particulars respecting the 

 agiicukuial industries in the Straits Settlements in 1912, are 

 abstracte<l from Colonial Reports — Annual, No. 789: — 



The area undei' Para rubber increased very considerably 

 in Malacca, and also to some extent in the island of Singa- 

 pore: in Malacca it was 80,-124 acres in 1911, and it is now 

 ll-j,000 acres. By the side of this increase, there has in 

 Malacca been also an increase in land under tapioca amount- 

 ing to no less than •52'3 per cent.; for the 10,926 acres of 

 1911 have become 16,643 acres. Formerly the cultivation 

 of tapioca in Malacca was on the decrease, and old tapioca 

 land in 1909 was being put under rubber; but the need of 

 a catch crop to young rubber begaii in 1911 io cause 

 a recovery of the lost area. In spite of the fall in prices, 

 rubber continued highly remunerative both to proprietors 

 and labourers. Nutmeg and clove cultivation has in many 

 allotments in the Northern Settlement been abandoned on 

 account of the higher rates for labour and the fall of the 

 prices of these products. The extension of pine apple 

 cultivation in the Singapore island continues, the crop being 

 a catch crop to rubber, and the fruits fin. ling a ready sale at the 

 canning factories at Singapore. These canning factories also 

 draw pines to some extent from outside the colony. Coco- 

 nut plantations have i)iorea?ed slightly in .Singapore island 

 and in Province Wellesley. The Mancliurian soy bean, tried 

 in Singapore, proved useless for the^country. 



