CULTIVATION OF TOBACCO IN THE 

 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



INTRODUCTION . 



Tobacco, at the present time, ranks fourth among the exports of 

 the Philippine Islands. Manila cigars have become favorably known 

 throughout the civilized world ; but, until recently, their use has been 

 confined principally to the countries of the Far East and Europe. The 

 passage of the Payne Tariff Bill has opened a new market for Philip- 

 pine tobacco, and during the past year about 86,000,000 cigars have been 

 exported from these Islands to the United States. This increased 

 demand has resulted in an advance of from 40 to 80 per cent in the 

 local prices of leaf tobacco, and the opportunities for the Philippine 

 tobacco planter are now vei'y favorable. If these conditions are to 

 continue, it is essential that more attention be given to the production 

 of the better grades of tobacco that are demanded bv the American 

 market. 



In certain sections of the Philippine Islands the climatic and soil 

 conditions are exceptionally favorable for the production of a superior 

 grade of tobacco; but, owing to the low prices formerly received for 

 their tobacco, the Philippine planters have given but little care to 

 its cultivation or improvement. Little or no attention has l)een paid 

 to the selection of good seed, the cultivation of the plant, or the proper 

 curing of the leaf. The present status of the industry makes it im- 

 perative that improved methods l)e introduced if tobacco growing in the 

 Philippines is to prosper. 



SOIL AND CLIMATE. 



Tobacco is grown to a limited extent in all the principal islands 

 of the Philippine xArchipelago, but the bulk of the commercial supply 

 is produced in the provinces of Isabela and Cagayan, situated in the 

 northern part of the Island of Luzon, in the Province of La Union, in 

 central Luzon, and in the Island of Cebii. 



While the tobacco plant will grow on nearly all kinds of soil, the 

 texture ©f the leaf produced depends largely upon the class of soil 

 on which it is grown. If the soil is dark, heavy, and poorly drained, 

 the leaves of the plant will be dark in color, thick, and coarse veined. 



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