190 THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



grinding is done. During the grinding of the substance some of the 

 chocolate makers add sufficient sugar to sweeten the article, making it 

 useful for commercial purposes. There is a great future for chocolate 

 production in the Philippines, and when the problem of irrigation for 

 the dry lands during the dry season is solved, there will be some good 

 opportunities for the investment of capital in this line of products. 



PEANUTS. 



There are also large and uncultivated peanut farms in the Philip- 

 pines. For some reason the Philippines labor under the belief that 

 the peanut groves of the islands do not require much attention, and 

 they give no time or work to the care of the same, except when it is 

 time to collect the fruit. The peanuts as grown here now are small 

 and inferior, but could readily be developed into a staple and superior 

 fruit. The peanut lands are very wild in appearance, showing little 

 indication of civilization. The native peanut collectors live in bamboo 

 and nipa shacks near the peanut farms and during the harvesting col- 

 lect the peanuts in large mats. These mats are spread in the sun so 

 that the peanuts can dry out thoroughly, after which they are sacked 

 and shipped to the nearest market. The market places of the country 

 thrive in nearly all of the cities and towns, and the products of the 

 plantations are sent to these places for purposes of selling. The 

 prices obtained for the peanuts are very low, and it would pay enter- 

 prising individuals to employ agents to go about the country buying 

 up peanuts and shipping them to some of the sea ports, there for sack- 

 ing and shipment to other countries. 



ORANGES. 



Orange groves are everywhere, most of them thriving without any 

 attention on the part of the proprietors of the lands. One may trav- 

 erse for long distances through great orange-laden trees and not see a 

 native. This is during the period of grewth. As soon as the fruit 

 begins to ripen the different owners of the lands appear and commence 

 to gather the fruits. These native appear to expect that the groves 

 will yield abundantly even though no attention is given to the irriga- 

 tion or care of the trees. The majority of oranges of the islands have 

 an acidity property which could be gradually worked off by proper 

 cultivation. 



LEMONS. 



Lemons are somewhat scarce in the Philippines, due to the infer- 

 iority of the grade produced. The only trouble with the species of 

 lemons grown in the Philippines is that the fruit is shrunken and 

 small, due to utter lack of cultivation and care for many years. The 

 Filippino lemon grove owners have done little else than collect the 

 fruit. Often they do not go to the trouble of doing even this much, 

 and the hogs of the country subsist upon the growth. 



