The soil of the Philippine Islands is, in general, so rich that it yields very bountifully; and, as it is in the tropics, there is no season of frost, and snow, when cultivation must cease. Agriculture goes on through the entire year, and on some parts of the soil three and occasionally four crops can be raised. The year is divided into the wet season and the dry; in the former, the rain falls in torrents, and fills the rivers and lakes, together with artificial reservoirs, where water is stored for irrigating the fields in the time of drought. Crops are made to follow each other so that the soil may not be exhausted by repetitions; thus, in the mountain districts, it is customary to plant the ground with rice, and, as soon as it is gathered, it is followed by a planting of tobacco. Formerly the island of Luzon produced large quantities of pepper for exportation, but at present there is hardly enough grown there to supply the local demand. Fred asked the reason of this, and was told the following story: "The price of pepper was fixed by a measure called a _ganta_, which was used by both sellers and buyers. The Philippine Company had the monopoly of the pepper-trade, and were making a fine profit out of it, but it seems they were not satisfied to let well enough alone. One year, when the pepper-growers came to Manilla to sell their product for the season, they found that the agents of the Company had altered the measure by making the ganta of the Company double the ganta of the Indians, so that the sellers were enormously cheated. The Indians were angry at this trick, and immediately went home, destroyed their pepper plantations, and devoted their attention to other articles of culture." "Served the Company right," said the boys, "provided the poor Indians were able to get along with something else." "As to that," was the reply, "they were not likely to suffer, as they could raise tobacco, rice, sugar, and two or three other things, on the same ground; but it is proper to say that there are few articles that can be cultivated as easily as pepper. Pepper requires very little care; all that is needed is to take a little twig of it, bend the two ends together, cover the middle with a little earth, and tie the ends to a prop of wood six or eight feet long. The plant grows and clings to the prop till it reaches its top, and there it stays and takes care of itself. The owner has only to remove the weeds once in a while, and to stir up the earth around the foot of the plant so that it can absorb plenty of moisture. The grains are gathered as fast as they change from green to black, and are then spread out in the sun and dried." [Illustration: TAGAL INDIANS CLEANING RICE.] CHAPTER VI. HUNTING IN LUZON.--CROCODILES AND GREAT SNAKES.