Samar baskets of the Zambales type [Industrial Notes]

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Part of Philippine Craftsman

Title
Samar baskets of the Zambales type [Industrial Notes]
Creator
Minier, John F.
Language
English
Year
1912
Rights
In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Fulltext
JNDUSTRJAL NOTES. SAMAR DASK~"J'S OF THE ZAMBALES TYP.;, J(IIIN F. Mt:<t~~. ln<lu.strial Su.per,·isor. Baskets of the Zambales type with a set of outer ribs of blackened bamboo are now made in Samar These baskets are of small size, not being over 5 em. in height. They are neat in appearance and are made only of materials carefully selected and prepared. Their popularity ha;; caused the demand for them to be considerably greater than the supply. They are made to nest and as many a s five of them may be shipped in u packuge 15 em. square and 5 em. high. Two models of these baskets az·e shown in the illustration. The standard measurements of the basket with vertical sides are as follows: Centimelen. Height (including the rim). 5 Height from standard to rim.. 3.7 Height of rim . 1.3 Width of rim . 1 Diameter a t top (including rim) . .. ........ ..... .......... 12.5 Diameter at bottom . 11 The busket may be made of nito, rattan, bamboo, banbun and air roots. There should be 8 spokes 22 em. long and 3 mm. wide, 16 spoke:> 10 em. long and 3 mm. wide, und 32 spokes 8 em. long and 3 em. wide. The lonl!'est spokes should taper gradually from each end to 2 mm in width at the center. The basket is begun in the same way as the work basket as shown in Fig. 1, Plate XIV of the July issue of THE PHILIPPINE CRAI"TSMAN, except that 8 spokes are used instead of 16. After a measure of 5 mm. is woven 350 with two weavers, three rounds are made with the triple weave and the 16 spokes 10 em. in length are inserted. Three more rounds are woven with two weavers to hold the 16 spokes in place. Seven rounds are now made by using the triple weave, after which 32 spokes of the 8 em. length ure added. These spokes should always be boun<.l in place by using two weavers. The weaving is now continued until the desired diameter is obtained. The bottom should be decorated, with spiral and arrowshaped designs, and the like. The sides are usually begun with the triple weave. After several rounds have been woven 2.5 em. of the side should be done with two weavers of the same color. 32 blackened bamboo spokes not more than 3 em. in len":t.h and 4 mm. in width are inserted in the triple weave in such a manner that the lower ends of the bamboo are hidden from sight. The tops of the bamboo spokes are now bound in place by weaving around with the triple weave. If a small number of bamboo spokes are used they may be made more than 4 mm. in width. The rim is slightly elliptical and is 1.3 em. high and 1 em. thick. When the design has been put on the rim it should be so uniform that the beginning and end can not be detected. Only the finest ancl best materials should be employed and the workmanship should be of the finest. CORN DEMQ;\;$TRATION IN CAPIZ. The first corn demonstration in the province of Capiz was held on September 6, 1!112, at the provincial INDUSTRIAL NOTES 351 capital. The report of l\lr. John C. Early, who is in active charj::"e of the corn campaign in that division, shows that the demonstration was a "real corn fiesta," and that it was attended by a large number of the people from outside towns. A prominent place in the program was given to addre!!-ses by the following leading citizens of Panay: i\lr. R. R. Hancock, general manager of the Philippines Railway Company; i\lr. C. E. Wright, Division Superintendent of Schools; and l'ol r. Sam W. Sherard, Agricultural Inspector, Bureau of Agriculture. Mr. Hancock spoke of the agricultural possibilities of Panay and told of the results which have been secured in other countries by the extensive and intensive cultivation of corn. Mr. Wright spoke of the general trend toward practical ed~;cation and of the ever increasing emphasis that is being placed by the Bureau of Education on vocational instruction. He also explained the corn campaign in detail. Mr. Sherard spoke on corn. He explained t he natu re of the plant, the kind of soil needed, the selection of seed, and the planting, cultivation, and harvest of the crop, as well as the food value of different kinds of cor·n. His leeture was illustrated by samples of corn and specially prepared char·ts. After the program, the provincial and municipal officials of the provinces were invited to the department of home economics of the provincial school, where a daintily served luncheon of corn products had been prepared for the visitors by the girls of the school. Mrs. Wright, the wife of the Division Superintendent, was in chan::e of the preparation and servin~t of the lunch. Among the prominent visitors at the corn demonstration were the Honorable Francisco Santa Maria, .Judge of the Court of First Instance; Govet·nor Altavaz of Capiz; Third Membe1· Arnaldo of the provincial board; twenty-five municipal presidents; and a large number of up-todate farmers from all parts of the Jlrovince. The booths in which the demonstrations wer·e conducted were fitted with equipment to illustrate every feature of corn and its use, from the selection of the seed and means of cultivation to the consumption of the various corn foods. 352 TH£' PHJUPP!NE CRAFTSMrLY CULTIVATION m· AU: ROOTS. In response to a communication regarding the possibility of cultivating \'al'ious species of Araceae for t.he fiber produced by their uir-roots, i\lr. Elmer D. Merrill, Botanist, Bureau of Science, states that in all probability but two species are adapted to conditions found in and about towns in the Philippines; that is, species that will thrive under cultivation. These are: Ruphirlophora merrillii Engl., which is now found in and about most towns in BoPhldoPhora merrillll Engl. the Archipela~"', wild and cultivated, an endemic, widely distributed, and well known species; and Scindap~llS a!ITCliS Engl. & Krause. The latter is a coarse vine, with very large, pale-green leaV(,S mottled with yellow or paler green, quite common in culth·ation in l\lanila, and in some of the larger towns. It is a native of the Solomon Islands, but was introduced into the Philippines some years ago; it is never found growing wild here. Potl!os o!·alifo/ius, 1'. phili]Jpincl!sis, P. rumpl!ii, and Raphido]Jilora 7JC•·kinsac all are sylvan plants; th:~t is, those that thrive only in rather dense forests, and in regions where the rainfall is fair!} well distributed throughout the year. It is not believed that any of the abO\'C can be cultivated with profit in or about the average low t'ountrr town in the Philippines. As to Rapl1idopltora mcrril/ii and Scindapsus ruo·cus, both grow well in regions like Manila and vicinity where the rainfall is interrupted by a long dry season; if attempts :ue made to cultivate any of these plants, Sclndapoutaurous Engl.andKr•uoo. it is believed that these two are the ones that will give the best results. The former is ~enerally known as "tibatib" or ''amlon~,·· but the latter has no definite native name. Both are very easily propagated by cuttings; it is only nect>ssary to cut the stems into sections, each section showing at least two internodes, •. and then root the cuttings in wet sandy soil. Naturally they grow on the trunks of trees, though sometimes, in towns, trailing over stone walls; presumably, in practice, the only feasible method of cultivt~tion J.VDL"STRJAL NOTES 353 will be by planting- them about the tmnks of shade trees. In very dry weather they will naturally thrive better if occasionally watered. Common "tibntib" grows naturally in thickets, etc., without any cultivation, but wi\1 undoubtedly respond to attention, such as the destruction of weeds about the roots, occasionally stirring the soil, watering, etc. There are no data available on which to base an estimate of the time necessary for the plant to produce long air roots. Plants started from cuttings will iu all probability not yield long roots within a year 01· so, for the stem must mal:e its g"rowth in length before the necessity arises for the production of long roots. Old plants, thoroughly established, will doubtless produce new long I"OOtS in a few weeks or at least in a few months. Naturally, in removing the roots, care should be taken not to injure or destroy the plant itself. 'l'he air roots arc produced from the nodes (joints), and the short horizontal ones serve to hold the plant in position on its supporting host. The much elongated pendulous ones which yield the fiber supply the plant with water and food. Eventu;11ly most of these reach the ground and root at their tips. Naturally when these long roots are removed new ones at·e produced either from the same or from different nodes, and having a well established plant on which to draw for nourishment, the growth of these new roots will be comparatively rapid. It is susperted that the roots make most of thei1· growth in the rainy season. EMBROIDE>!Y NOTES. In Modern PriseHla for August, 1!)12: The Irish crochet bag, page 5, is pleasing, but. would be better still if the bowknot, a much hackneyed motif, were omitted. A quiet space of the same background stitch with another small group of roses where the fern stems come together would be Jess commonplace and would give unity of design. There seem to be too many different motifs for such a small space. The Venetian crochet, page 6, is good. In Fig. 5, however, it. would be better to shorten the tabs as they curl and launder poorly when long. Of the punched work on page 7, Nos. 12-8-5, 12-8-6 and 12--8-4 are the best. The bunch of grapes in No. 12-8-l looks lonesome and lacks unit~· of design. The flowers in No. 12- 8--7 seem too large for the space allowed for the design. The use of a pot of flowers to ornament a sofa pillow, even though it is of old colonial desi~'"Il, is open t.o criticism. Of the crochet pillow tops, page 8, No. 12-8-8 is good; but in No. 12-8-9 the apparent use of a section of the alphabet as the center of interest is giving too much importance to a commonplace thing. Neither of the embroidery designs on the same pag-e is satisfactory. The design on No. 12-8-10 shows a monotonous use of an uninteresting unit and the whole is too compact and hard in line and fi_l!ure. The arrangement of stems in design No. 12-8-11 is a poor, distorted one. The color scheme might redeem the other units of the design. Of the gold thread bags on page 9, Fig. 1 is very nice in shape. Fig. 3 would be a little too long for the width when drawn up, and Fig. 4 is not at all attractive; the edge of the ftap is particularly poor in shape. The stole on page 10 is pretty and suggests a new application for Roman cutwork or some of the other hand embroideries. The embroidery designs on page 11 are pleasing with the exception of No. 12--8-18, which is ordinary. No. 12-8--19 offers t he practical suggestion of making the center top 354 THE PHILIPPINE CRAFTSMAN of the cushion of open work; that section of a cushion usually wears into unsi~htly pinholes long before the other parts of the cushion are effected. No. 12-8- 23 would be improved by using a more simple cu rve for the tendrils and working them closer to or over the edge of the upper boundary line of the design. Of the underwear on page 12, only No. 12- 8-30 is worth considering. This is a 1 ·ather interesting border. No. 12-8--28 gives the appearance of having been cut off at the top and the detached sprays at the sides show a lack of coherence in desiJ:ll. The flounces, Nos. 12-8-31 and 12- 8-35, are pretty; the others are not so good. All the cht·ysan~~=:um designs on page 15 are very The rabbit motif in such an obvious arrang-ement as used in the designs on page 17 seems better suited to decoration of children's things than to table linen, even when used for the purpose suggested. The shirt waist designs on page 19 are pleasing in themselves but do not conform well to the structural lines of the garment. An additional spray reaching out Wward the shoul· der would improve No. 12-8-56. No. 12-8- 57 could be placed upon the cloth in :L more slanting position in order to give greater width at the top and less at the bottom, and No. 12-8-58 would be improved by add· ing a little to the length at the bottom. The designs in Modern P riscilla for September, 1912, are very nice as a whole. Only the following changes are suggested: In the infant's robe, pag"e 5, the motifs in the lower part of the pan. els a1·e pleasing, but the units in the upper part could have better placing and the pendant basket of flowers seems unsuited to its use; the small sprays with the bowknot would be quite enough. The design on collar No. 12- 9-16, page 9, is good, but the shape of the collar itself sacrifices good construction to novelty. The "bite" out or the back is displeasing. There is also a lack of corellation between the straight band and the corner motifs in collar No. 12-9-18. The latter motifs are nice and could be repeated in the back of the collar with a more pleasing result. Again novelty seems to have taken precedence over good design. In the luncheon set on page 17, the edge of the largest doily in No. 12-9-52 is too heavy. Either of the other two arrangements is better. On page 8, Nos. 12-9-10 and 12-9-1•1 are particularly pleasing.S. C. J. COtiHDI/\ATION OF SHOI' AND The radicals in industrial education plan their courses solely fo~· industrial efficiency, paying no attention to training for citizenship. The conservatives outline their edu· cational policies so as to train for citizenship with no regard for indus· trialism. The educational policy in the Philippines, however, aims a c ~iving a tmining that will prepare the pupils not only for civic responsibilities but also for industrial efficiency. Shop work alone may produce g-ood workmen. Academic work alone may produce good citi· zens. Our combined shop and aca· demic work will produce good citi· zens who are at the same time good workmen. To obtain the maximum good out or the combined teaching of industrial and academic subjects, a close co01·dination of the shop and classroom must be made. Usually, the academic teacher possesses but little knowledge of shop processe3 and frequently shows even less interest in what goes on outside ol his classroom. Unless the shop work receives steady, hearty, and judicious Ji\"DUSTRJAL 1 YOTES 355 coOperation in the classroom, the best results wi!l not be obt:tined. As an aid toward bringing shop and classroom into closer sympathy, a regular schedule of visits to the shops has been arranged for all academic and dmwing teachers of the Philippine School of Arts and Tmdes. This school contains nine shop departments and nine teachers in drawin~ and academic subjects. Each teacher visits at least one shop per month and in the course of the nine school months makes a complete round of all shops during the school year. The results of these visits are various. A new teacher \cams at once that the shop work is not a mere side issue, and imbibes the spirit underlying the school work in far less time than otherwise possible. The older teachers keep in touch with what is going on in their own school and acquire material for use in their English and arithmetic teaching. The pupils leam that their shop work is of as much importance as thei1· academic work and naturally take increased pride therein. The shop instructors realize that their work is being upheld in every possible way and arc thus stimulated to their best efforts. In short, these visits are doing more toward coordinatin~t shop and classroom than any other single feature of the school program.-W. W. M. NATIVE SEED CORN. During the past year there has been a general demand for information regarding the relative values of different varieties of corn, of various types of car, and of seed from different regions. The experience of farmers has been that seed corn brought from one locality to another, will often not give good results the first year in the new locality. At the Nebraska agricultural experiment station it was demonstrated after a three years' test that local native corn averaged 6.3 bushels more per acre than the corn from Illinois and Iowa. A more striking result was secured later when varieties representing three degrees of acclimatization were grown in a comparative test. One group was grown from p1·ize ears f1·om Illinois and Iowa and produced 39 bushels per acre. The second lot was grown from selections of corn grown in other parts of the state and a yield of 45 bushels was secured. In the third experiment, the seed corn was secured from a collection of varieties grown for several years by farmers near the experiment station. An average yield of -18 bushels was secured from this seed. These experiments plainly indicate the value of native seed, and prove • that seed from a distance produces much less corn than varieties already acclimatized. On the same principle, seed from different sections of the Philippines would necessarily un· dergo a process of acclimatization before the best results could be secured. It is to be concluded from this that it will be safer for Filipino farmers to use their native seed than to try importin~ seed even from other sec· tions of •he Philippines. There is an excellent opportunity for the improvement of acclimatized seed corn by careful selection. If the corn is wisely selected, a good native variety can be developed which will with time improve in yieldN. H. F. USING MOUNTS IN MAKING BASKETS. Mounts are very necessary in making certain forms of baskets to prevent the bottom of the baskets from twisting out of shape when the sides are being woven. A very simple contrivance (see illustrations) is an ordinary board larger than the bottom of the basket 356 THE PH ILI PPINE CRAf'TSMA1\. with small holes bored at intet·vals of about two inches. These may be placed in an elliptical or circular form depending upon the shape of the bottom of the basket to be woven. The basket is secured to this board by strings or cords passed tht·ough the holes from below over the rib and back through the same hole, carrying the same ron\ all the way around. Another advantage of this mount is that it furnishes a plane surface from which the horiwntal and lateral measurements of the basket may be taken, enabling the weavct· to make a more symmetrical basket than is possible otherwise. In certain baskets like the book bas· kets and others which have"Perfectly plane bottoms the board may be fastened inside instead of outside. In this case it must be made the exact form of the bottom desired, as it serves also for a mold in fash· ioning the basket.- ULYSES S. ANDES, Normal Sclioo/. '"COBBOOT." The Industrial l\luseum of the Bureau of Education recently received from l\lr. Gil Raval, industrial supervisor for !locos Norte, specimens of a g-rass known in Ilocano as "cobboot." This is used in the schools of the division for making slippet·s and seems well adupted for such purpose. It has been identified as /schaeuwm angul!tijoliltlll and has also been collected by the Bureau of Science in the Provinces of Cag-aran, Nueva Vizcaya, Pang-asinan, and in the Mountain Province. In the latter it is known as "pucng" (l!!"orrot) . It is therefore believed that this !!"rass i~ of general distribution throughout northern Luzon. In India the grass is utilized fot· making paper, but such an industry Cobb~ol (lschurnurn •uousllfollurn). !SDUSTR!AI~ NOTES 357 would not be advisable fot· the Philippines as a great amount of machinery is needed for a modern paper mill. Mr. Raval gives this information about cobboot: "The plant grows best in dry, open, grassy slopes. The average height of a mature stalk is three feet. The leaves arc long and narrow. It bears flowers during the months of :\1ay and June. In the months of August and September it is in full ~t·owth and is cut to be made into rope. Slippers are made of it in the schools. For rope, the plant is cut at its base; it is dried in the sun for three days and is then ready to be twisted. For slippers, the base of the stalk one foot long is used. The straw to be twisted or woven must be kept soft and moist by wrapping it with banana petioles. The material is used for both the upper and under soles of slippers and is very strong. It may be added that this grass is woolly at the base and that its flowering spikes are from 2 to 4 inches long, of a light brown color, hairy, and easily blown away by the wind. Specimens of the plant may be obtained by interested parties on application to the Bureau of Education. THE NESTIKG OF BASKETS. In Volume I, No.1, of this journal, in the article on Philippine Baskets, the point was brought out that freight rates to Pacific coast ports and on railroads in the United States were by hundred pounds as applied to baskets. The effect of this rate lessens the desirability of making baskets so that they will nest. The General Office of the Bureau is in receipt of a letter from McntzerPiaget Co. of Chica1-,ro, l\linois, the body of which is quoted herewith: "Ref1~;:;~8 freight.-The proportion of freight from Manihl to the Pacific Coast Ports, is $0.75 pet· hundred pounds, and the rail proportion is $1.50 per hundred pounds to any common point east of the Mississippi River. This rail propot·tion of course applies only to shipments originating in the Orient; therefore you could fi~ure $2.25 per hundred pounds as the freight on baskets from Manila, to Milwaukee, St. Paul, New York, or any point desi~nated on the tariff issued by the Trans-Continental Freight Bureau. This tariff we are mailing you a copy of in today's mail, and we hope that it will be of assistance to you. "In refcl'encc to packing.-These goods can either be boxed or baled; our Japanese products usually are packed in wooden cases, while our Chinese baskets are usually packed in bamboo loose woven hampers which are afterwards covered with a coarse woven matting; the ocean and rail rates arc the same on either kind of packing. "In 1·ejercucc to uestiug of baski'I/1.--The custom of manufacturing a certain style of basket :md nestin~ one inside of the other is not a good commercial idea, for the reason that the one size is not as good a seller as another. This idea of nesting baskets of one style, one in another, was adopted at the time when our ocean freight was on the cubic foot basis; therefo re the baskets that were nested did not cost any freight on the ocean, and fot· that reason the temptation was great to manufacture a lot of baskets in sizes that are practically unsalable. The samples the writer saw when in Manila were styles that would readily sci!, but such baskets as desk baskets, waste baskets used for commercial purposes, would not meet with a ready .«ale for the reason that this market is already thorou~hly covered with products that are more suitable and much lower in price than what could 358 THE: PI-IIUPPIXE: CRAFTSMAN be produced, we think, in the Philippines. Odd shaped baskets, or work ba~kcts, and fancy baskets in original designs would be much better and would command a better price than baskctsthatwouldhave to compete with merchandise already in the market." The superintendent of schools for the division of lsabcla has issued a circular giving a schedule ~md instructions pertinent to the industrial work to be accomplished by the schools of that division. The outline, which is intended to be used in conncctiou with a provincial industrial outline hcJ·etofore issued, gives complete and explicit directions as to the manner and time for doing all the industrial work, with the exception of g-ardening. In some respects this circular is in advance of other division industrial outlines already issued, and the idea.<; contained are worth)' of bein,l!." included in future industrial outlines for other divisions. One of its special features is an industrial vocabulary for each grade of the primary course. These vocabularies are in keeping with the work prescribed for the respective gTades and, if properly used, the teachers should be able to make the industrial work a basis fo1· supplementary language or conversation drill. In further carrying- out tht! idea of having the industrial work supplement the academic work being done, each pupil is required to keep an accurate cost tag showing the amount and cost of a\1 materials entering into the making of each article. T he measurements of all articles are shown by means of drawinpo:s, and as a result of this nnd the cost tags the pupils will become famitia1· with costs, p1·otit and loss, and linca1· measurements, and will Jearn something of mechanical drawinA'. That p:u·t of the circula1· that per· tains to needle-work is very complete; not only are the inst1·uctions explicit and the measurements exact, but the !iuggestions regarding the sanitary conditions under which the pupils should work and Jive arc excellent. With the training prescribed, the pupils of the division should be able to do excellent needlework. Owing- to the fact that the province of lsabela is remote and the cost of transportation hif.t'h, the price of imported household furniture is excessive. To relieve this condition and to allow the pupils to have training in the use of carpentry tools, the pupils assigned to the primary shops are making two excellent types of chairs. One of the types is known as the bamboo chair, while the other is called the rattan chair. Both of the chairs are servicable and there is quite a demand for thern. It is probable that actual expe· rience will sugj!est several modifications and eliminations, but the circular as a whole is so well ananged that it will undoubtedly prove of great benefit to the division.~ R. B. R. It may be useful to know that a j.:"allon of paint will cover from •150 to 630 superficial feet of wood. On a well-painted surface of iron, a gallon of paint will cover 720 feet. In estimatinJ!: painting to old work, the first thing to do is to find out the nature of the surface, whether it is porous, rough or smooth, hard or soft. A correct estimate on repainting woodwork can not be made from the quantities only; a pcrson'rtl examination ought to be made in every case where there is much work to be done. A great many painters trust to the quantity; the consequence is nothing is allowed INDUSTRIAL NOTES 359 for removinJ:" old paint, for scouring, o1· fo1· stopping cracks. Painting- can be done well and artistically, 01· indifferently, and few trades allow of greater scamping. In first-class work, after the first two coats have been put on, the paint, when dry, should be rubbed down with pumice stone before the finishing coats are put on. Inferior painting is so common that it has a demoralizing effect on painters of thf' day. The quality of the material, especially the white lead, has much to do with the permanency. We find painting done on old w•,rk without any cleaning, stopping, or even pumicing. A slovenly and inartistic class of grainers is also 1r1et with, who repaint and regrain on work that ought to be well rubbed with pumice stone or sandpaper before the first new coat is laid. For painting three coats, the following materials are given for 100 su perficial feet of new work: Pigment, 8 pounds; boiled linseed oil, 3 pints; spirits of tu1·pentine, 1 pint; the work taking three men for one day. According to Saxton, 45 yards of first coat, including stopping, will require 5 pounds of white lead, 5 pounds of putty, 1 quart of oil. The same quantity of each succeeding coat will require the same allowance of white lead and oil. The best materials will last for seven years, but the ordina1·y painting seldom lasts three. MALABOll:, RIZA.L, CORN DEMONSTI!ATION. A very successful corn demonstrat ion was held at Malabon, Rizal, September 7, 1912. It is estimated that five thousand people attended this demonstration. Corn foods were prepared and served from eight attractive booths, which were well ornamented and so arranged that the public could have free access to them. Corn foods were served and many recipes were distdbuted to the ]Jublic. A ·'Corn Queen'' and an "Indian Gil'i" were features of the demonstration. The cost of the demonstration was 1'170. The demonstration was attended by the Acting Governor-General, Newton W. Gilbert, and many othc1· officials and prominent peopi" fr'om !\lanila. In connection with plans under way in the division of Leyte to prepare and select articl!!S for the carnival exhibition of 1913, detailed rules have been issued to teachers for industrial contests which are to be held in the several school districts of the province. Both municipal and district exhibits have been so arranged that the quality of work done in various municipalities and distdcts will be judged under several headings, as baskets, lace, embroidery, crochet, plain sewing, abaca work, hand weaving, garden products, and miscellaneous. The preceding articles constitute the main lines of our industrial work as at present organized, and an efficiency classification is to be given on this basis. Ten articles from each heading will be expected from each district and they will be given a weight varying from 5 to 20 points. The municipality receivin~~: the large!lt number of points under the industl'ial groups previously mentioned will be awarded a trophy known as the "Casal\a Banner" in indication of superior indust1·ial efficiency and attainment for the division. COHN DEMONSTRATIONS IN PALAWAN. Plans have been made for holding large provincial corn demonstrations in Cuyo, Puerto Princesa, Coron, and Agutaya. From these central points the demonstrations will branch out into the small municipalities and barrios. 360 1'1/f.' PHILIPP/XI!: CRA.FTS.IIA.X REPAIR PANTS FOR PLAr.'•;s. For some time past it has been noted that many of the trade schools and school shops have been handicapped by the lack of planes to property equip the wood-working classe~. )!any planes are lying idle on account of the breakage of some small part which costs only a few centavos. In order to keep the sehool equipment up to its highest state of efficiency, the Bureau has decided to make arranf."t'ments so that a considerable quantity of repair parts for planes will be kept in stock in Manila. It will be of interest to note that thez·e are 7,727 planes on hand in the val"ious school shops in the Islands; of these 3,76!) are block planes, 1,550 fore planes, !)72 jack planes, 267 smooth planes, !)80 assorted planes, 143 jointers, 30 combination (universal) planes and 16 circular planes. Duriug the past year the Bureau has ordered 3,940 repair parts for the above planes. About the first of September a complete machinery outfit for making shell windows was shipped to Camiling, Tarlac, by the Bureau of Supply, upon requisition from this office. This is the only machine for making shell windows and doors which has been furnished to any of the schools by the Bureau. Denver, Colorado, opened a trade school last year which is known as the Denver School of Trades. Instruction is offered in carpentry and cabinetmaking, printing and bookbinding, painting and interior decoration, plumbing and gas-fitting. T rade drafting, history, mathematics, English, and science are included in the courses. Half of the time of each day is given to shoJIWork, and the remaining time is divided between drafting and ;tcademic subjects. The school is open to boys of Denver of sixteen years or over who have completed eight grades in the public schools or the equivalent of that time. The enrollment is limited to two hundred during the first year. The establishment of the school met with the approval of the trades unions and the American Federation of Labor. The following directions were prepared by the supe1·visor of needlework in the provincial high school of Leyte. These instructions give definite information relative to standard a1·ticles which a1·e made in the schools of that division, and as they may be of value to other teachers and students of needlework, they are published hc1·ewith: Dl8ll01DI::RY. l. Handkerchief:;: ((l) Ladies'. Cut 12 inches squa1·e. One yard is sufficient for !) handkerchiefs. llem when finished, \ inch. Draw 3 threads. Catch 3 th1·eads to 1 stitch. Number of threads depends on fineness of linen. Embroidery-single design. .Make one dozen with same design. (b) Gentlemen's. 1 m. is sufficient fo1· -1 handkerchiefs 20X20 inches. Hem, when finished, to be ~ inch. Draw three threads- -catch -lto1stitch. Initial when certain of purchaser. •. For general market do not lette1·. 2. Table linen: (a) Doil)' sets, round, run 22, 18, 15, 12, 10, and (i inches in diameter. Plate J.\'DUSTRJA [, .VO'N:S 361 doilies, 10 inches, in sets or 6. Tumbler doilies, 3 inches, in sets of 6. Dessert doilies, 5 inches, in sets of 6. Design on each doily of set should be the same. (b) Rectangular or oval. Runners, 60X24 inches, or 72X27 inches. Platter doilies, 27X 15 inches, oval; 22Xll inches, oval; 12X6 inches, oval. Tray cloths, 27Xl4 inches, hemmed; 20X10 inches, l2X6 inches, hemmed; 8X4 inches, hemmed. Lunch cloth, 34X3ol inches, hemmed. Lunch cloth, 35X35 inches, round. (c) General instructions: 1. Usc doily linen, or Irish linen, coarse, or Butcher's linen, fine. 2. Use scallop-conven· tiona! designs- not close work-sprays, knots, etc. 3. Hemstitch and drawn work; only one row of drawn work. 7. Lunch cloths may also be finished with patterns of Irish crochet. 8. Tray cloths may be hemmed or hemstitched-two styles. 9. Hemstitch rectangles. l 0. Hem rounds and ovals. 11. A hemmed hem should never be more than ;; inch wide. Lace is always placed on top of the hem, never on the edge. The Sot·sogon siesta chair which has been quite popular at the Bureau of Education Carnival and Exposition exhibits of former years has undergone a recent change in design and finish and will be sold in the future for 1''17.50 instead of 1'12.f,O, the old price. In using nito straw, a very pretty effect can be secured by scraping away the black epidermis from the sides, thus having a central strip of black and on each side of it a white <1. Hemstitch tray cloths strip. Another variation consists in and use bobbin scraping the central part. This lace; width of gives a white central strip and two hems depends on black strips. size of piece; hem largest piece 2~ inches, smallest hem ~ inch wide. 5. Draw only three threads unless the hem is double hem· stitched, then as many as 6 or 8, depending on texture of linen. 6. Hem tray cloths II inch and use bobbin lace. Do not hemstitch. PllODUCTION OF A good corn crop throughout the world would mean a production of 2,000,000,000 cavanes. Of this amount the various nations would furnish the following figures: United States .. 1,000,500,000 200,000,000 200,000,000 Argentina Austria-Hungary Mexico and Central America All other countries 200,000,000 399,500,(100 362 TilE PllllAPPJ,\'R CRAFTSJIA.\' In connection with the work for the improvement of designs used in industrial work, a set of dmwings fot· dolls' fa~s has been worked out in the General Office of the Bureau of Education. This has been done in a simple way with no shading and as few lines as possible. Stencils can be cut from them so that the tlpplication may be made easy and the result a pleasing and t~•pical Filipino rountenance. PRICES m· J'ICTURE FRAMES. Picture frames at·e made in larJ.,"C numbers in most trade schools and considerable time is lost in estimatin!-!: the prices thet·eof as each new order is received. To obviate this delay and to insure uniform prices, the Philippine School of Arts and Trades has worked out a price list of frames, coverin!l' all current sizes and kinds of wood. By its use, a prospective purchaset· may be informed, quickly and definitely, of the exact price of his fmme, and may be assured that the price given is neither higher nor lower than that previously quoted to some one else for a similar frame. Prices naturally vary with local conditions and l\lanila prices are usually hiA"het· than those prevailing in the provinces. The price list of the Philippine School of Arts and Trades may be of value to other schools in fixing loeal prices if used as a basis from which a definite discount is made. Any trade school principal desiring a copy of this price list may secure q.ne gratis by requesting the same from the Superintendent of the Philippine School of Arts and Trades. JUNIOII I NDUSTRIAL TEACHl:lt The last civil-service examination for junior industrial teachers was held l\lay 21, 1912. Tests were given in agriculture, domestic ~ciencc, woodworking, and ironworking. Twenty-five applicants tried th(' examination in agriculture and eight Jlnssed. Of the successful candidates, seven had been pensionados at the College of Agdculture and one had been a teacher in I locos Sur since 1908. Twenty-three girls tried the do· mestic science examination and on\~· four were successful. Two of these wet·e returned students from the United States and two were formerlr pensionadas at the Normal SchooL Five boys attempted the ironworker's test and only one, a graduate of the Philippine School of Arts and Trades, passed. All six contestants in the weaving examination failed to make the required grade. In woodworking ninety-five were examined but only sixteen passed. Of these, nine were pension ados from the Philippine School of Arts and Trades and Com· were graduates from the same institution. Of the remaining three, one each came from Albay, Cebu, and Pangasinan. Expcdence has pt·oved that loom weaving is one of the most useful industries which can be taught to lj.!;Orot girls in the Mountain Province. For several years past these gil'ls have been trained in the weaving of cloths in their schools. Now, where the girls have had sufficient training to understand the necessary processes connected with the weaving of cloths on such looms, it is proposed to go a step further and introduce the loom into lgorot homes. After the introduction of looms into the homes, the supervising and other teachers of the l\lountai11 Province will be expected to oversee the work and to assist the girls in securing thread a11d other materials, as well INDUSTRIAL NOTE.'S 363 as in disposinl! of their products. It. is expected that considc1·able p1·og-. ress will be made along this line during the present school year. In the city of Manila over 780,000 umbrellas are manufactured each year. i\lost of them are of the common type which consists of black cotton cloth, steel spokes, and a curved bamboo stick which has had both ends filled with rattan to keep it from splitting or breaking when bent. It is easily understood that the steel and the cotton cloth should be imported; but it is even true that nearly every piece of bamboo and rattan which is used in this big industry is imported from China or Japan. Yet an almost unlimited supply of rattan and bamboo, which would be well suited for this purpose, is to be found in nearly every part of the Philippine~;. The wooden pa1·ts of tools, such as the stocks of planes and handles of chisels, a1·e often made to have a nice appearance by French polishing; but this adds nothing to their durability. A much better plan is to let them soak in linseed oil for a week, and 1·ub with a new cloth for a few minutes every day for a week or two. This produces a beau· tiful surface, and has a solidifyinJ.: effect on the wood. The statement that a 12 by 12 inch beam, built up of 2 by 12 plank~ spiked together, is stronge1· than a 12 by 12 inch solid timber, will strike a novice as exceedingly absurd. An a.uthot'ity on the subject says every millwright and carpenter knows that it is so, whether he h:y; ever tested it by actual experience or not. The inexperienced will fail to sec why 11 timber will be stronger simply because the adjacent vertical longitudinal portions of the wood have been separated by a saw, and if this were the only thing about it, it would not be stronger; but the old principle that a chain is no stronger that its weak· est link comes into consideration. Most timbers have knots in them, or are sawed at an angle to the grain, ~o that they will split diagonally under a comparatively light load. In o. built-up timber no large knots can weaken the beam except so much of it as is composed of one plank, and planks whose grain runs diagonal\~· will be strengthened by the other pieces spiked to them. In many of the towns on the island of Panay, especially those ncar the mountains, it is no uncommon thing to find bolos with handles carved to represent the heads of certain animals, notably those of the monkey and tiger. Since the tiger is not of the fauna of the Philippines, but is found in the Malay Peninsula, it is evident that this custom reaches back to the Peninsula and was p1·obably brought to the Philippines with the Oran~ Laut in their early migrations or excursions during the first centuries of the Mohammedan domination of the )lalay Archipelago. Some fine specimens of this carvinc: can be obtained in Banga of Capiz Province in the barrios of Alfonso XII, Rizal, and 01·tega. The same work is done in the hill barrios of no1·thcm Antique. In l\liagao, Iloilo Province, t here is a large number of blankets or "hammocks'' woven of cotton on the old "sicad" hand looms. These ham· mocks were woven from cotton 364 1'/lf.l PHIUI-'P/1\'E CRAV1'SMAN raised nc;u· Miag-uo ;md were used for decoration of arches on feast day!<. The designs woven in the cloth are representative of certain stories and myths th;tt probably had their origin long before the emigration of the Borncans to Panay. There are certain similarities in design between the cloths of Borneo and those of these l\tiagao "tapestries." The art of weaving this cloth has been lost and the present examples of the art are becoming rure and costly; they arc held as heirlooms by the families possessing them. Buri raffia cloth is woven in the banio of Bayan, municipality of New Washington, Capi;r; Province, and has been woven there from time immemorial. Tradition has it that the Island of Panay was originally settled by seven datos from Borneo who probably brought this craft with them. In some of the isolated barrios in Iloilo Province, this buri raffia cloth is yet being woven on the "sicad" or old hand loom similar to that in use among several non-Christian tribes of the Philippines and to the "tumpoh" of the Dusuns in British North Borneo.