238 FOXWORTHY. 
Within the Philippines, the species which are most widely distributed 
are Shorea guiso and Pentacme contorta. It is probable that they occur 
in all the provinces. 
USES. 
r' 
Wood. — This family has already been indicated as the chief source of 
the commercial timbers for the Archipelago. It is possible that the 
waste from the saw-mills could be used to advantage. Mr. E. R. Williams^ 
of the laboratory of organic chemistry of the Bureau of Science, has 
undertaken a series of experiments to detei*mine the composition of the 
waste material from the saw-mills and the possibility of its commercial 
utilization. The following are some of the preliminary results of his 
work. 
CHEMICAL UTILIZATION. 
The valuable constituents of wood from the standpoint of their chemical 
utilization are cellulose and lignin. When the former predominates, as 
in conifers and soft woods generally, the latter may be removed by a 
suitable chemical method, and the cellulose utilized as paper pulp. The 
cellulose is also the valuahle constituent for the production of ethyl 
alcohol and oxalic acid. 
However the yields from destructive distillation depend on the amount 
of lignin or "incrusting matter" present. Judging from their weight 
and hardness dipterocarp woods might be expected to be better adapted 
for this purpose than any other, the more so as many of them contain 
resins of possible value which could be recovered bv this means. 
In Table II are given the results of a few experimental distillations 
of palosapis, red lauan, and apilong. About five kilos of wood were 
used for each experiment. Distillation was conducted in a cast-iron 
horizontal retort heated by gas. The temperature was controlled by a 
nitrogen-thermometer in the center of the" retort. 
Much depends upon the apparatus used and the skill exercised in 
conducting the process and results of various investigators are not readily 
comparable. Nevertheless tlie evidence is that apiiong, and probably 
other moderately hard woods of this class, compare favorably with woods 
used in the United Sktes for this purpose. 
