22 



and down through the sugar, thus producing a washing effect on the 

 crystals. The sugar is a hard mass resembling rock salt, the top is gen- 

 erally stained and the bottom still contains molasses and sediment. 

 They are removed as low grade products while the central portion is 

 broken into irregular pieces for sale to shop-keepers and into small, cu- 

 bical blocks for sale direct to users. The bulk of Pampanga sugar has 

 always been used in the local market by Chinese for the purpose 

 of making caramdo, a sort of spongy candy clarified with white of eggs 

 and used almost exclusively by the Filipinos for table purposes. 



Since the American occupation there has been a tendency to use more 

 and more refined sugar and many of the Pampanga growers are now 

 producing the mat sugars, which are shipped in palm-leaf bags the same 

 as that from Iloilo, which contains all of the molasses and other impuri- 

 ties just as it comes from the caldron. 



SUGAR PRODUCTION IN THE OTHER PROVINCES. 



Batangas. — As shown in the crop statistics for the fiscal year 1910, 

 Batangas Province ranks third in the tonnage of sugar produced. The 

 soil of this province differs considerably from both Negros and Pam- 

 panga, being generally undulating, consisting of rather heavy red or 

 yellow clay. In the vicinity of Lake Taal there is considerable black 

 volcanic soil made up of decomposed lava. The cane fields are generally 

 small and widely separated. The type of cane grown, the -implements, 

 agricultural methods, and mills are the same as for Pampanga. The 

 possibilities for sugar growing in this province are indicated by the 

 heavier yield than that of the provinces having sandy soil like those in 

 central Luzon, north of Manila. 



Iloilo ranks fourth in the amount of sugar produced. This province 

 consists mainly of rice lands, lying north of Iloilo with occasional small 

 fields of sugar on the elevated portions. Along the foothills on the east 

 and west sides of the province and along the Philippine Pailway in the 

 vicinity of Passi in the northern portion of the province considerable 

 cane is grown. Iloilo is a well-cultivated province in which the sugar 

 industry was developed many years ago and the small amount produced 

 there at the present time is due rather to the demand for the land for 

 the purpose of growing rice than from any other cause. The yield per 

 hectare is greater than the average for Occidental Negros. The land 

 is of rather heavy texture and contains considerable limestone in the 

 foothill districts. 



Tarlac Province ranks fifth as a sugar producer. The conditions in 

 this province are almost identical with those of Pampanga, except that 

 the soil is even more sandy and subject to drought. The effect of this 

 is shown in a smaller yield per hectare. 



