

THE PHILIPPINE 



Journal of Science 



A. Chemical and Geological Sciences 

 AND THE Industries 



Vol. IX FEBRUARY, 1914 No. 1 



THE SOILS OF THE ISLAND OF LUZON 



By Alvin J. Cox and A. S. Arguelles 

 (From the Bureau of Science, Manila, P. I.) 



Seven plates, 3 text figures, and 1 map 



Luzon, the largest and best known island of the Philippine 

 Archipelago, has an area of 118,620 square kilometers, and lies 

 between the parallels of latitude 12° 30' and 18° 40' north and 

 between the meridians of longitude 119° 40' and 124° 10' east. 

 The principal rivers of the island, in the order of their length, 

 drainage basin, and navigability, are the Cagayan, the Pam- 

 panga, the Agno, and the Abra. The first of these has a length 

 of over 300 kilometers, and the last has about one-half that 

 length. There are many other streams, but most of them are 

 comparatively short and of less importance. A Y-shaped system 

 of mountain ranges running approximately north and south 

 forms the skeleton of the island and also the divide for the waters 

 flowing to the Pacific, those flowing northward by the Cagayan 

 River, and those flowing to the China Sea. This system of 

 mountain ranges is also largely accountable for the amount and 

 distribution of the rainfall. The western portion of the island 

 has fairly well-defined dry and wet seasons, and in general the 

 eastern portion has a rainfall equitably distributed throughout 

 the year. This differentiation of rainfall into the eastern and 

 western types is not absolute, but it can be used in the selection 

 of the areas in which certain crops may be produced and in the 

 determination of how the soil may best be utilized. In Rizal, 



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