PHILIPPINE SOILS. 



281 



Such natural agencies as the mean, maximum, and minimum tem- 

 perature and the temperature under the surface of the ground, the 

 amount of light and sunshine, winds and the evaporation of the soil 

 moisture, exposure, altitude, humidity, the amount and distribution of 

 the rainfall and other climatic and physical conditions exert an influence 

 either favorably or unfavorably and are of as great importance ia tlie 

 production and quality of crops as the inherent characteristics of the 

 soil itself. It is more clearly recognized now than ever before that there 

 is not only one factor, but a summation of a number of factors which 

 influence the soil and that a most intelligent and thorough understanding 

 and systematization of all of these is necessary to obtain the best results, 

 for at a given time any one of these may become a limiting factor. Even 

 in the older districts in the Philippines no exact records of some of the 

 factors enumerated above have been kept ; neither is there much informa- 

 tion as to the character or crops that can be grown profitably. It will 

 be many years before these can be made a matter of careful record and 

 the statistics for a given area presented in a definite form. "With a 

 knowledge of either the climatic conditions or the character of crops that 

 can be grown the other may be interpreted within certain limits and 

 the use which can be made of the soil approximated. 



In the Philippines many of the climatic conditions are approximately 

 constant, as is shown by the following numbers which I have tabulated 

 from the reports of the Philippine Weather Bureau. 



Table I. — Mean shade temperature 190^-9. 

 [Numbers give degrees and are the average of several daily obsenations.] 



Station, province, island. 



Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. 



May 



June 



July 



Aug. 



Sept. 



Oct. 



Sov. 



Dec. 



Av- 

 er- 

 age. 



Vigan, UocosSur, Luzon __ 



25.9 25.7 



27.1 



28.4 



28.7 



27.7 



27.0 



26.9 



27.1 



27.6 



26.9 



26.2 



1 

 27.1 1 



D a g u p a n , Pangasinan, 





























Luzon 



25.7 



25.8 



27.2 



27.5 



28.3 



27.8 



26.9 



26.9 



27.0 



27.2 



26.3 



25.7 



26.9 1 



San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, 



























1 



Luzon 



24.7 



25.2 



26.7 



28.5 



28.3 



27.3 



26.4 



26.4 



26.4 



26.5 



25.5 



25.2 



26.4 



01 n g a p , Zambales, 





























Luzon 



25.6 



25.8 1 26.8 



28.1 



27.6 



27.1 28.3 



26.4 



26.1 



26.6 



26.1 



25.7 



26.7! 



Manila,* Luzon 



2.5.0 , 25.3 , 26.8 



28.3 



28.6 



28.0 27.2 



27.1 27.0 



26.9 



26.0 



25.2 26.8 



Eoilo, Iloilo. Panay 



26.5 



25.6 



26.6 



27 9 



27.9 



27.1 



26.5 



26.6 



26.3 



26.5 



26.1 



25.8 



26.5 1 



Santo Domingo, Batanes 



























1 

 1 



Islands, Batan 



22.4 



22.6 ' 23.8 



26.8 



28.3 



28.8 ; 28.9 



28.9 



28.2 



27.5 



25.2 



23.4 



26.2 



Aparri. Cagayan, Luzon 



23.3 23.4,24.8 



26.6 



27.4 



27.9 



.1- c 



27.6 



27.5 



27.2 



26.5 



25.0 



23.6 



25.9 



A t i m n a n . Tayabas, 























1 



Luzon 



25.4 25.6 26.6 



28.0 



28.5 



27.9 



27.5 



27.5 



27.0 



27.1 



26.3 



26.1 



26.9 



Legaspi, Albay, Luzon 



25.6 25.6 , 26.5 j 27.4 | 27.9 



27.5 ! 26.1 



27.3 



26.9 1 27.1 26.4 



26.2 



26.7 



Capiz, Capiz. Panay 



25.7 i 25.8 26.4 i 27.6 1 27.1 



27.6 1 27.0 i 27.0 



26.9 



26.8 26.4 



26.2 



26.7 1 



Tacloban, Leyte, Leyte 



25.7 



25.6 26.3 27.4 I 28.0 



27.5 j 27.4 1 27.5 



27.3 



27.2 : 26.5 



26,1 



26.9 



Ormoc, Levte, Leyte . - 



24.9 



24.8 25.5 1 26.1 | 26.6 



26.4 26.3 i 26.8 { 26.1 



25.9 



25.4 



25.2 



25.8 



Cebu, Cebu, Cebu 



•25.9 



25.9 : 27.2 1 27.6 28.1 



27.6 i 27.0 



27.1 



•26.8 



26.8 



26.4 



26.2 



26.9 



Tagbilaran, Bohol, Bohol. 



25.9 



25.9 , 26.5 1 27.3 j 28.0 



27.6 



27.4 



27.4 



27.4 



27.2 



26.7 



26.3 



27.0 



S u r i g a , Surigao, Min- 



























danao 



i 



25.7 



25.6 26.0 



26.8 



27.4 



27.6 



27.4 



27.4 



27.3 



27.2 



26.4 



25.7 



26.7 



' Nonnal, 1885-1907, Annual Rept. Dir. P. I. Weath. Bur. (1907), 151. 



