Progressive farming

Media

Part of Farming and Cooperatives

Title: Progressive farming
Language: English
Source: Farming and cooperatives, 1 (1) November 1945; 21
Year: 1945
Subject: Agriculture--Philippines; Planting time--Philipines; Crops-Philippines; Livestock farms --Philippines
Rights
Fulltext: PROGRESSIVE FARMING T HE Philippines as everybody knows is basical.y an agricultural country. As the saying goes, '·fam1ing is the back: bone of the country." If so, how strong is our backbone? We have to admit that our farming methods are not up-to-date as may be desired. The same practices and crude tools used in the past are still found in many of our farms. We are behind in adopting useful, up-to-date information. J:>;ew ideas are look~d upon by most farmers with suspicion and they are reluctant to change. If we are to develop our farms in a progressh·e way, we must think hard, plan out our work and put these plans into practice. The plans for our farm work must be based on modern farm practices. Modern farm practices is scientific farming. "Scientific" does not mean something supernatural or mysterious. It is not necessary for a small farmer to go to ·college to understand the meaning of scientific farming. It merely means in a nutshell, the organization of farm work into a detailed plan using available latest findings on the particular subject at hand. It means making every inch of land yield the maximum at the most economical way under given conditions. To sum it up, we must know at the outset, what we want, why we want it for, when we want it, and how we intend to produce it. If we can answer these things in detail, we have a fairly good idea of a scientific method. It is not the object of this column to encourage farming in a grand style but rather to put some light on common farm problems to help the development of the small farms into profitable enterprises. If we could help the farmer do small things in a profitable way we are more than recompensed in helping him. While we shall take the initiative in discussing in this department, problems about the daily work of the farmer, we request the farmers all over the country to cooperate by sending us their knotty problems, or suggestion they have discovered that can be useful to other farmers. (Continued on page 23) Prospects for Food .. (Co11ti111ud from page 111) labor conditions in the farm districts. Tractors and threshing machineries, trucks and warehouses were destroyed during the Japanese time. Cont.'\iners like jute sacks, even used ones, have practically disappeared from use. Not less than ten million sacks should be made available t-0 move the crop and store it. Warehouse facilities t-0 accommodate six nlillion cavans are needed to safely handle the next crop before the rainy season. Some two hundred outfits of tractors and threshing machines would be needed to speedly harvest the crops. Not less than 2000 two and ~:2 ton trucks are required for hauling rice from the fields to warehouses. The corresponding oil and fuel to mobilize all the mechanized units must be made a\·ailable. All these essential needs require financing and the farmers do not have the means now. Fanners' only money made from sales of crops during the last three years has no value. The food situation, however, will not be any more serious in 1946 as in 1945, the period just about to terminate, because both transportation greatly improved and importation possible from different sources as Burnrn, Si am, French Indo-China and the United States food can be made available. The most sound course to follow would be for a more general use of locally grown corn, camote and cassava, as between utilizing our own crops, saving our money and importing rice and flour to sending away money, the latter is the more sound economy. This calls for a more comprehensive government leadership and direction. The farmers have already started the planting of corn, camote and cassava and they should be encouraged by having their crops profitably marketed. Already the Batangas farmers have announced surplus cassava harvest without market. Laguna, Cavite, Tayabas, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Bulacan and Pangasinan are also producing corn, camote and cassava. Unless an organized attempt is made to market their crops, there will be great losses and the farmers may be discouraged from further cultivation of rice to the prejudice of self-sufficiency essential to a stable Philippine economy.Silagram (j-reetings to FARMERS Rural Mailbox Inquiries received from farmers shall be given prompt attention unless the answer is not readily available-in which case, it will be referred to an authority on the subject. The information will immediately be published. The following questions were placed in our hands just as we were going to press. Answers will be published in the next issue along with answers of questions that will be received next month. 1. Where can I buy white leghorn chicks for my foundation stock? Is fish meal available now for feeding layers? Is the much publicized Sta. Maria Poultry Raisers Association still alive? 2. Where can I secure onion seeds, and what is the best variety to grow? 3. Can we grow pop corn in the Philippines? 4. Before the war, the Bureau of Animal Industr,• helped pou I try raisers to avoid losses from chicken plague by vacci·nating hen and roosters. Is there any private party that will give the same service and \vhat is the cost? Can I buy the vaccine from the government and do my own vaccinating? 5. How can I secure nitrogen bacteria to innoculate the seeds of soybeans before planting? 6. Can I plant camotc after harvesting palay in December? (See Suggestions to Rice Growers) 7. Can I produce onion seeds and how? 8. How can we farmers of the locality form a Farmers Cooperative Association? 9. Where can I secure ramie seedlings? 10 What is the UNRRA, the ECA and the FEA and what are they doing for the farmers of the Philippines? 11. Harvesting and threshing rice in all Central Luzon will be in full swing by December. As the Japanese soldiers commandeered all tractors and threshers, where can the farmers secure these facilities now? Are the Companies dealing in farmers' machineries now open for business? We are ready to train your sons and fill your order for radio and other electrical equipment. NATIONAL RADIO SCHOOL 1130 Oroquieta, Manila (Authorized by the Government) COURSES • Radio Technician • Commercial Radio Opera tor • Marine and Aircraft Radio Operator • R1;1-dio Mechanic - Sound Technician - Master Electrician • Enrollment For Second Quarter Still Open • CLASSES BEGAN NOV. 5, 1945 MORNING - AFTERNOON - EVENING CLASSES For further information, write or see The Director FARMING AND COOPERATIVES 21 The governing body of th!l sn!d cor· poration shall consist of a Board of Governors composed of a chairman and four members to be appointed by the President of the Philippines with the consent of the Commission on Appoint. ments of the Congress of the Philip· pines. The members of said Board who are not in the employment of the Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines shall l'ach receh·e a per diem of not exceeding fifteen pesos for each meeting actual})· attended by them. The Chairman of the Bojlrd of Gover· nors shall appoint such technical and subordinate personnel as may be neces· sary for the proper performance of the functions of the corporation and shall fix their salaries subject to the appro\·al of the Board. The Office and principal place of operation of said non-stock corporation shall be in the City of Manila, and branch offices shall be established in such places as may be selected and determined by the Board of Go\•ernors. The corporation herein created shall exercise the poWf'rs and duties contained in the articles of incorporation and by. laws to be approved by the President of the Philippines and the rules and regu· lations that may be issued by the Presi· dent from time to time in conformity with the provisions of section six of Commonwealth Act Numbered Five hun. dred and sixty-five. SEC. 2 The sum of five million pesos is hereby appropriated out of any funds in the National Treasury which, together with the other funds mentioned in section seven of Commonwealth Act Numbered Five hundred and sixty-five, will constitute a special fund to be known as the National Cooperative Fund and will be placed at the disposal of the Board for the promotion of cooperative enterprises in the Philippines. All in· comes or receipts derived from the operation of the special fund herein created shall accrue to and form part. of the same and shall be available for expendi· ture and/or investment as tlie Board may direct for the purpose of carrying out the purposes of this Act. Sec. 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval. Approved. Progressive Farming (Continu.d from page .t1) WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH RICE LANDS? A SilAzgram Listen, Rice Growers: If Europe did not change from simple growing wheat to a cropping system of wheat, turnip and clovers, European farmers today would still be fanning the primitive way. Now if rice growers do ·not change the present system of planting only one crop of rice a year and waiting one half year doing nothing, they will remain the same primitive farmers for the next twenty or fifty years. Many things have already been tried with success and it is only necessary to adopt them into a system or definite farmmg scheme. Mongo for example has been used to plant after a rice qrop. CaJDOte has been tried with gratifyfng .result to follow a rice crop. 'Soybeans have also been successfully grown after a rice crop. Corn, cotton, gabi and cowF ARMING AND COOPERATIVES pea ha,·e also been cultivated with satis:Ca1tory 'Jlc.>sults a.fter hai·vestlng Tice, especially when irrigation facilities are available. Sitao also has been successfully planted on "pilnpil" during the grow· Ing season of rice, thus rendering the unprofitable "pilapil" serve a double pui·pose and making it possible to create ad· dltional income to the rice farm. The proposition is as follows-to plant rice from June to November. utilizing a medium late variety. Imml'diately after cutting the rice, the land should be prepared and planted to camote. The result would be a harvest of camo~e in March and April. A green manure crop of sesbania or mimosa or soybeans planted in April can be plowed under in June and July. The r"sult will be proper conservation of soil fertility, increased production of food, employment of the farmer throughout the year and an Increased income for farm labor. Let us figure down the advantages. As it is now, the only income of one hectare of rice farm for one year is 40 cavanes a year. As it will be after adopting the suggested cropping system, the yield of the land will be40 cavanes of palay and three tons of camote. Under present prices of palay at P20.00 a cavan and camote at 15 centavos a kilo, the income from one hectare is PS00.00 for rice and P450.00 for camote. Well cultivated camote planting has given as much as nine tons pPr hectare. Further advantages of the proposed cropping system is that hog and poultry enterprises wiJI be encouraged because of additional available food and the far· mer will be occupied throughout the year on profitable work. Naturally the adoption of the propos· ed cropping system involves changt's in habits and customs and investment on better equipments to facilitate speedy preparation of the ground. The tenants will have to work harder, the land owner will have to invest in equipments. Apathy to these changes have always been the obstruction to progress. But it is the change with all the accompanying sacrifices that made the difference be· tween the European farmers of the Mid· die Ages and those of today. Truck Gardening Notes WITH the rehabilitation of speedy transportation from provinces to Manila, farmers will have extra good opportunity to sell fruits and vegetables to Manila market. To illustrate Mani· la's large market of vegl'tables, it is on· ly necessary to state that the daily needs of Manila's po1rnlation for fresh vegetables is around ninety tons. A daily haul by fifteen six-ton trucks would be just about right to meet Manila's daily needs. The vegetables most needed in Manila are, pechay, mustards, cnmole tips, malungay tips, kangkong, sitao tips, calabasa, radish, turnips, sincamas, carrots, chayote, gabi, camotc, cassava, onions, tomatoes and green corn. November is the best time to plant for the dry season c1·ops, where irrigation facilities arc available; planting can be done until February. We emphasize tomato and onion plant· ing us these two ct·ops will be on top prices at harvest time. If you have any qu<'slion about planting directions, fertilizing guide und hnrvcsting methods write the <'ditor of "Farming and Cooperatives" and the reply will be gladly sent to you 1iromptly. Thl' farmers of the lrnck garden land of Marikma valley, Laguna lake shores, the Tumanan land of Baliwag, Bustos, Gapan, Cabanatuan. the bottom lands in Candaba, and river bank lands in Pang:isinan should take early steps to plant vegetables this season. While the Ame1·ican soldiers arc still in Manila, there will be good markets for all truck ga i·den products. Suggestions 'C'OR good results, upo and calabasa S: should be started early in Novem· ber and December. Dig square holes one foot wide and a :foot deep, two meters apart and :fill with well rotted horse or carabao manure. Plant two or three seeds in every hole. When (Continued 01i page !5) Best Wishes to the PHILIPPINE FARMERS ASSOCIATION and to FARMING and COOPERATIVES COOP ERA TORS- Secure a copy of the - COOPERATIVE REVIEW * A 50-page magazine of informative articles on cooperatives * Vital Statistics * Constructive criticisms * Cooperative News ' Out of Pl'.ess Nov. 15th Don't fail to get your copy ! Limited copies Published in bhe Interest of the Cooperative Movement 428 Quezon Blvd. 28 Progressive Farming . . . (Contimi.ed from. page !!S ) two or three seeds in every hole. When the plants are about one foot high, eliminate the poor plant and leaYe only the healthy plants one or two to grow up. The upo should be made t-0 climb on strong trellis. A four bv five meters "balag" from two hills of plants will produce as much as fifty upo fruits during the growing season. Poulir y EGGS arc still at a premium. ·what are the Sta. l\Iaria poultry raisers doing? Feed now is abundant and transportation is available. There are many buyers of white leghorn chicks but they seem still to be sca rce. The " Farming and Cooperatives" will be glad to help prospective poultry raisers in securing stock and feed. If rnu ha,·e chicks to sell, let us know anc" we shall pass the word around to our friends who are poultry raisers. If you need f ish meal or other concentrates let the "Farming and Cooperatives" help you. A Word about the Ho!! 0 NE of the best allies of the farmer is the hog. The pig helps the farmer save a lot of farm wastes. It can consume spoiled pa lay or corn; it can feed on culled camotes, calabasa and camoteng kahoy. It utilizes kitchen waste. One of the most economical ways of raising a pig is to feed it principally with leaves and stem of camote and 11 darak." Experience points that a farmer havi'!lg a patch of camote of three hundred square meters will ha\•e enough leaves and stems to raise a pig. Start with a feeder three to four kilos in weight. Feed with camote leaves and stems and darak, occasionally .,.;th corn and camote until it is twenty kilos in weight. Then fatten it by giving it all it can eat of cracked corn, camot-P, or camotengkahoy. At this age it will put 1 kilo of live weight for every six kilos of grain eaten.-R.R.A. S-(a) Ang e sa dakong unahan ng; salitang hiram ay nagiging i: ceballos-sibuyas, ventanabintana, Enero--Inero, Felipe-Pilipe (b) Ang o sa dakong una'y nagiging u, at sa dakong huli'y w: bombero-- burnbero, soldadosundalo, Mindanao - Mindanaw, L11nao--Lanaw (k) Ang r sa unahan ay nagiging d, at sa hulihan ay I: repikar, dupical, rezar, dasal, lugar, luga! T-Sa ·mga dalisay na salitang tagalog, aling mga titik ang nakakapalitan? S-(a) Ang mga. patinig na o at u: samp<>-- sampu, sap61- sapul (b) Ang mga katinig na d, l, at r: daw_,,.aw, din-rin, diyanriyan, lakad - lakarin, buklo'd-buklura Sa pagkakapalitan ng d at r ang ganit;O- ang tuntuning sinusun6d. Kapag napagitna sa dalawang patinig, ang d ay nagiging r. (To be continued) FARMING AND COOPERATIVES SCIENTIFIC FARMING IN THE U. S. Str ipped farming as d011e in the U. S . is one of the most ",.gent needs of the rolling lands und.,· CH/tfo ation in the Philippines. ( US IS cut) How Much Are This and That? Prices as can vassed by this journa l at popular markets in Manila principally Divisoria during the last days of October. Ordi narily price! at Oivisoria Market are fift y centavos to one peso lo\,.er than other Manila and nearby markets. These are retail prices : Rice . .. . . 1st class . . . . •. . . . . . . . .. . . ... , . , .. , . . , . ... . . . . . 2nd class ..... . . . . . .. . . .. . . .• . .. . . . .. .. · . · . Sugar . .. . White . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . .. . . . Panocha Mongo . . . .. . ..... . Camote . .. .. . .. ..... .. .. ... . . ... . .. . .. .. . . . . · · · · • · · · · · · · · · Camoteng kahoy . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . .. . . ... •. . .. . . . ... Calabasa . . . . . . . . • . . . .. · · · · · · · · · · · · • · · · · · · • · Talong . . (about 6-8 inches) ... . . . . .. ... ... . . . . . . ... . ..... . Tomatoes . ... 6- 8 pcs. . .... . . . . •. Upo . . . . ..... (about 1 ~ rt. J on~) Peanuts .. . .. shelled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . ..... . .• . . , . . ... . . unshelled . ... .. .... . , . . ........... , . . . Chayote ....... . ...... . .. . ....... · .•. · · · · · · · · · · • · · · . · · · .... . • . Chickens . ... cockerel or young hen ....•.. , ..•. . •... . . . . .. . .. .. . . big hen ..... . ........ . ....... . ..•. .• . . . . . . .... . . . Eggs . ... native . .. . ......... . .. . . .. . .. .. . . . . . .. . •. .. .. , ..•.. . .. white leg-horn . . . . . . . . . .... . . .... .. . . . . ........ . •..... ducks balot P2.30 2.20 3.60 2.10 5.00 .26 .25 .20 .08 1.00 .30 4.60 1.50 .25 4.00 8.00 .28 .48 .48 1.00 to P2.50 per ga ntil to 2.40 .. to 4.50 .. kilo to 2.50 " to 5.50 " g:anta to .50 " kilo to .50 " to .30 " to .10 " piece (about P .50 size) to .50 • piece to 5.50 per ganl3 to 2.00 " to .40 " kilo to G.00 to 9.00 to .50 per piece to .60 .. to .60 to 1.40 25