INTRODUCTION 



GRICULTURE is one of the oldest oc- 

 cupations of civilized men, and is still 

 the most essential form _pf liuman indus- 

 try ; for agriculture supplies the food of 

 most people, and most of the raw ma- 

 terial for manufacture. 



This book is an attempt to present 

 concisely the fundamental facts about Philippine agri- 

 culture, and to show the relation of these facts to one 

 another. 



Agriculture is more important in the Philippines than 

 in countries of the temperate zones, because there., are 

 few manufactures, and the soil and climate are espe- 

 ciaTry"~TavorarJle to the growth of plants. Because of 

 thus advantage, agriculture will surely continue to be 

 the chief occupation in these Islands, and no other sub- 

 ject studied will have so great an industrial value as this 

 one. 



In its narrowest sense, agriculture is the cultivation of 

 the fields. In the broader sense in which we are using 

 the word, it includes gardening, as well as the study 

 of the origin and nature of soils, of the different crops, 

 and of the uses of these crops. 



Before students are ready to study agriculture, they 



