56 
'1 he yueensland Naturalist. 
Jan., 1926 
oleaied from a patcli of forest and the rice planted in 
holes clu-x with a long piece of bamboo. It produces one 
ci'op and then seeds, and second-growth trees take ])0s- 
session of the pateii. It is clieaper to abandon the cdear- 
ing and cnt down a fresh patcdi of forest than to clear 
tJie weeds and undergrowth, and conse(iuently large 
areas of virgin forest are constantly being destroyed 
by tins wasteful eaingin system. In time the forest re- 
invades The gi*ound. but very often the trees are dif- 
ferent fi-oiii tliose originally peopling it. In the northern 
mountains, where rice cultivation has been practiced 
for hundreds of years, the Tgorots have evolved a won- 
derful irrigation scheme. Tlie mountain sides are ter- 
raced almost to their summits, and the streams diverted 
so tliat they flow on to tlie topmost terrace and thence 
to tliose below. The sight of hundreds of terraces rising 
one above tlie other to tlie summits of mountains tlioii- 
sands of feel In lieight, each caipied by a green cap of 
rice, is ti-enieudously im]n‘essive, and the work is con- 
sidered one of the Avonders of the Avorld. One A’ariety 
of rice grown on the terraces lias a red grain. Tt has a 
fine flavour, hut it is hard to sejiarate from the husk, 
and the ]>ieces of adhering chaff spoil its appearance 
Avluui it is cooked. 
Tlie tobacco ]dantations of the Philippines Avere 
('riginally under Spanish control. The natives Avere 
alloAved cigars at the rate of one to each family, the 
balance of tlie crop to be turned oA^er to the company. 
Tliis regulation A\ms easily obseiwed. A tremendous 
cigar— large enough to last a Aveek — Avas made and hung 
from tlie roof by means of a cord, and the AAdiole family 
took it in turns to have a smoke. Though the restriction 
is no longer in force, the custom of making a family 
cigar is still common in the Xoi th of Luzon. Tobacco 
raised in the Philippines is of excellent quality, but the 
Itaf is subject to a fungal disease AAdiich spoils its ap- 
jioarance. so that wraupers for Manila cigars have to be 
inpjoited from Sumatra. 
Manila TFcm]) f^Iusa textilis) is a jdant very largely 
cultivated rluougliout the islands; it does not thviAu^ 
elseAvhere. so that hem]) raising is ]n*actically a Pliilip- 
])ine monopoly. In some districts bunchy top exists, but 
the Avorst enemies are the borer rPosmopolites sordidus) 
and heart rot. The latter disease is not fully under- 
stood, but seems to be a mixed infection Tisually follow- 
