345 
the Philippine Journal of Science, states, the purpose was to 
make an extended and thorough study of the su^ar cane 
produced in the Philippine Islands, the nature of the soils as 
disclosed by chemical and physical examination, the area 
planted and the area available for sugar production. Circum- 
stances, however, dictated that the efforts should be concen- 
trated on the Island of Negros, as it produces the greatest 
amount of sugar for any given area in the Philippine Islands. 
With reference to two former large volumes on the Philip- 
pine sugar industry, being the reports of hearings on the 
subject at W^ashington, Mr. Walker says: “While undoubt- 
edly many true and conservative statements are contained 
therein, they are so covered up by a mass of exaggerated con- 
jectures and estimates made by over-eager friends and 
enemies of the Philippines as to be practically valueless as a 
source of information.” A few facts and observations of Mr. 
Walker will be of some interest to Hawaiian readers. 
The history of Negros as a sugar-producing country prac- 
tically begins with the year 1849, in which year the island, 
by command of the Spanish Governor-General, was placed 
under the jurisdiction of the religious order of the Recoletos. 
The rapid development of the industry which at once ensued 
and continued during the next forty years is attributed to 
the enthusiastic and untiring efforts of this corporation, ably 
assisted by the then British vice-consul, Nicholas Loney. 
What the status of the industry was in 1908 may be gathered 
from the following data: Number of growers, 484; area of 
glowers’ land actually cultivated in sugar, 27,096 hectares: 
same adapted to sugar culture but not so planted, 38,545 
hectares ; area of other land not planted, 16,904 hectares ; 
piculs of 63.25 kilograms of sugar, 1,161,446; metric tons, in 
nearest whole numbers, 73,462. The number of growers 
mentioned is divided between 450 in twenty-two municipali- 
ties of Negros Occidental and 34 in thirteen municipalities 
of Negros Oriental, the Occidental having 24,748 and the 
Oriental 2348 hectares cultivated in sugar. 
The average yield per hectare throughout Negros is 42.9 
piculs, or 2.71 metric tons. This average is low owing to a 
comparatively large number of small growers that do not 
properly care for their cane, and Mr. Walker states that on 
a well-managed plantation the yield per hectare under nor- 
mal conditions of land actually planted in cane will rarely 
fall below 60 piculs (3.8 metric tons), and frequently comes 
near 70 piculs (4.4 metric tons). Later, 'n discussing the 
future of Negros, he says: “The probable limits of annual 
sugar production in Negros during the next fifteen years 
might be estimated at a venture to be about 220,000 metric 
tons under the present system of small individual mills and 
estates, and 500,000 metric tons with' adequate capital, care- 
