. The Philippine Islands . hoots. In consequence, planters no longer pay at once forshoots and labor, as formerly, but reserve payment for three years,or until full growth isattained. Then Sio arepaid for each hundredof live plants. In addition to thelarge planters, many ofthe Filipinos producebast in a small way,selling it to Chinesedealers. Or a China-man may, for a pettysum, gain the right towork a native plantationfor a fixed term of but one thoughtin mind—that of imme-diate gain—he strips theplants in their immaturestage, producing a whitebut weak fibre, and re-turns the planta
. The Philippine Islands . hoots. In consequence, planters no longer pay at once forshoots and labor, as formerly, but reserve payment for three years,or until full growth isattained. Then Sio arepaid for each hundredof live plants. In addition to thelarge planters, many ofthe Filipinos producebast in a small way,selling it to Chinesedealers. Or a China-man may, for a pettysum, gain the right towork a native plantationfor a fixed term of but one thoughtin mind—that of imme-diate gain—he strips theplants in their immaturestage, producing a whitebut weak fibre, and re-turns the plantation toits owner ruined forthe time being. TheChinese are, in conse-quence, held under suspicion, and their bast is severely inspectedbefore purchase. In fact, the whole process of hemp-production, from the proprietordown to the lowest laborer, seems permeated with fraud ; and betweenefforts to cheat on the one hand, and efforts to escape being cheatedon the other, life on a hemp plantation is not a state of A Llll\l>l. IIA\ 1 l\ (,A1 A Al 1 IKI . 222 The Philippine Islands. COMPETITIOX WITH OTHER LANDS. Manila l:emp never fails of a market, particularly in the UnitedStates, where it is must largely used. No other fibre known is sovaluable for cordage, and the production might be greatly increasedwithout overstocking the market. To the various frauds practisedin its production may be added another employed by the manu-facturers of cordage : the free adulteration of the pure Philip-pine fibre by the admixture of New Zealand flax and Russianhemp. The cultivation of the plant has been attempted outside thePhilippines, but with no satisfactory result. Abaca planting, it istrue, was tried successfully in the botanical gardens at Saigon,Cochin China, but the experiment was abandoned, for some reasonunexplained. Abaca has also been planted in British India, andflourished as well there as at Saigon, but the eftort to producehemp from it failed through ignorance of th
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectphilippinesdescripti
