THE 



National Geographic Magazine 



Vol. X FEBRUARY, 1899 . No. 2 



THE ECONOMIC CONDITION OF THE PHILIPPINES 



By Max L. Tornow, 



of Berlin and Manila 



General interest in the Philippines, a group of islands long all 

 but forgotten by the rest of the world, has been again thoroughly 

 awakened by the recent cannonade off Cavite. Even with the 

 final settlement of the Philippine question, it is scarcely to be 

 expected that the islands can again fall into forgetfulness. A 

 glance, therefore, at the economic condition of the country, with 

 a few of the more important statistics, will not be out of place, 

 for an exhaustive consideration of the subject would occupy far 

 more space than the present article admits of. 



AGRICULTURE 



Commencing with the products of the soil, two important 

 points strike us as testifying to the varied and fertile character 

 of the land : the geographical position of the islands, embrac- 

 ing 16 degrees of latitude, and the plentiful supply of water 

 On the other hand, in addition to smaller obstacles raised by 

 the administration, particularly as regards large plantations, 

 the want of labor militates seriously against industrial exten- 

 sion, so that of the arable land only a very small part is today 

 under cultivation. The result is that, notwithstanding the rich- 

 ness of the soil, we find that the total returns are nothing like 

 what they should be. 



Not only do all tropical fruits flourish, but also the plants of 

 the temperate zones, such as wheat, barley, and potatoes. Ex- 

 periments were made some years ago with wheat and barley and 



