148 



GIBBS. 



to keep pace with the constantly rising demand, the result being a 

 tendency toward higher prices. In the Philippine Islands, the prepara- 

 tion of copra is rapidly gaining both in local and world-wide importance. 

 The exports are increasing and the areas planted in coconut palms are 

 being greatly augmented from year to year. The exports are shown in 

 the following table: 



Table XVI. — The exports of copra and coconut oil " and their values for the last 



ten years, 1900 to 1910." 



Year. 



Copra. 



Coconut oil. 



Kilograms. 



Value (U. S. 

 currency). 



Liters. 



1 

 Value (U. S. 

 currency) . 



1900 



37,180,000 

 52, 639, 717 

 19, 686, 785 

 97, 629, 523 

 54, 129, 606 

 37, 103, 065 

 66, 157, 994 

 49, 081, 979 

 76, 419, 677 

 105, 564, 781 

 116, 374, 851 



81, 690, 897 

 2, 648, 305 

 1, 001, 656 

 4,472,679 

 2,527,019 

 2, 094, 652 

 4,043,115 

 4, 053, 193 

 5,461,680 

 6, 657, 740 

 9,153,951 







1901 



174 



238 



3,130 



824 



$115 



14 



355 



73 



1902- - . . 



1903 



1904 



1905 



1906 



400, 500 



413, 000 



i>2,915,114 



'■1,484,170 



39, 583 



50, 662 



263, 069 



157, 916 



1907 . - 



1908- - 



1909 - 



1910. — 









» Data from reports of the Collector of Customs. 

 •■ Quantity in kilograms. 



The Philippine Islands are rapidly becoming the greatest producers 

 of copra in the world, the greater proportion of the product being ex- 

 ported to Prance. At the present time practically no oil is pressed in 

 the Islands. The little that is manufactured is prepared by crude 

 native methods and consumed locally. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Although the coconut palm is distributed throughout the Archi- 

 pelago, the majority of the trees are in the Provinces of Laguna and 

 Tayabas. A distribution map is reproduced on page 149. The loca- 

 tion of the coconut areas of the Philippines was largely determined 

 from industrial maps submitted by division superintendents to the 

 Philippine School of Commerce. These showed the distribution of 

 the various agricultural products of the Philippines for each province. 

 The density of the areas was determined in terms of "many" and "few" 

 from the industrial schedules sent out by the Bureau of Education in 

 the year 1910. 



" The only modern coconut-oil factory was destroyed by fire in 1909. 



