42 EECENT FOREIGN EXPLORATIOiSrS. 



The valleys are broad and well drained, while the mountains are 

 approached b}' a g-radual elevation and frequently bj^ table-lands, and 

 are generally fertile to the top. Neither on the coast nor in the lowest 

 valleys of the interior is the heat at any time oppressive, and within 

 a short distance from an}^ point on the islands it is possible to reach an 

 altitude where the climate is perfectly delightful, even in the warmest 

 season of the year. 



RANGE OF PRODUCTS. 



Takirio- all the islands and the fertile mountains into consideration, 

 there is possible a very wide range of products, from the most delicate 

 spices to the hardy cereals. The chief commercial products have been 

 rice, sugar, tobacco, coffee, and fiber plants, but the islands can pro- 

 duce cattle, wheat, corn, oats, the legumes, and the grasses. 



STOCK AND PASTURE LANDS. 



Like Porto Rico, the Philippines furnish admirable conditions for 

 stock raising. The mountain sides have frequent streams of pure 

 water and produce an abundance of grasses, somewhat coarse and lack- 

 ing in flavor, but which if cropped closely are relished bj^ domestic 

 animals. Softer and sweeter grasses can readily be introduced. Ber- 

 muda grass and several of the Paspala and some clovers do well. 

 Stock raising has been profitably carried on for many years by natives, 

 often on quite a large scale. The native horses are small, but are 

 hardy and of immense energy, showing their descent from Andalusian 

 stock. There is a good demand for dairy products, and few lines of 

 husbandry would be found more profitable. 



FODDER PLANTS. 



The soil and climate of the Philippines are especially adapted to the 

 production of a great variety of fodder plants. Among the many may 

 be mentioned alfalfa, esparcet, serradella, vetch, lupme, pea, soy bean, 

 Lespedeza l)icoloi\ Pueraria thunhergiana^ Astragalus latoides^ cow 

 peas, Panicurn. colonum^ guinea grass, and Panicum maximwH. Dur- 

 ing the rainy season it would be necessar}^ to use these plants for 

 soiling, as the almost daily .showers prevent curing. From December 

 1 to May hay could be made in most parts of the islands. 



SUGAR CANE. 



Conditions are very favorable for raising sugar cane. The heavy 

 rainfall during the growing period, followed by the dr}' nionths of 

 December, January, February, ]\Iarch, and April, are ideal conditions, 

 so far as climate is concerned. This gives a full year for growth and 

 five months for manufacturing the sugar. The sugar mills are very 



