720 WHITPORD. 



here are composed of broad-leaved trees, and would, in the United States 

 at least, be classed as hardwoods. In texture, however, a large per cent 

 of (he trees produce woods with the general mechanical properties of 

 pines and other conifers. 



The dipterocarp woods may he divided into three groups. Of these the 

 l;mans (Pentacme contorta, Parashorea plicata and a number of species 

 of Shorea), though slightly harder, are not dissimilar to the white pines 

 in mechanical structure. They are being used in the Philippines for 

 , lighter classes of general construction and bid fair to replace all imported 

 woods of like qualities. 10 



The apitongs (species of Dipterocarpus and Shorea gulso) will compare 

 favorably with the hard pines and are being used for heavier classes of 

 general construction. The yacals (certain species of Hopea, Vatica, and 

 Shorea) are hard and durable and are used for general construction 

 work, especially where contact with the ground is necessary. However, 

 the great bulk of the Philippine forests is composed of trees t hat yield 

 timber of the grades of lauan and apitong. Of the trees other than 

 dipterocarps found in the dipterocarp forest probably one-half of the 

 bulk is composed of wroods that would grade with the lauans or apitong. 

 Of these the family Anacardiaceae produces Koordersiodcndron pinnatum 

 (amuguis), Dracontomelum dao (dao), Mangifera altissima (pahutan) : 

 in the Sapolaceae are Illipe ramiftora and several species of Palaquium : 

 in the Sterculiaccae are Tarrietia javanica (lumbayao) and other species 

 of several genera; in the Sapindaceae is Pomelia pinnata (malugay) ; in 

 the Rhamnaceae are species of Zizijphus (balacat) ; in the Combretaceae 

 arc several species of Terminal ia, and in the Rubiaceae is Sarcocephalus 

 cordatus (bancal). 11 



The prevalent idea that the tropics produce nothing but hardwoods 

 suitable for special uses like the teak for shipbuilding, and the mahoganies 

 and their substitutes, for fine interior finish, furniture and cabinet making, 

 is due, in the Philippines at least, to a number of causes. 



1. The wood-destroying forces in the tropics are much greater than 

 in temperate regions. The continual heat and moisture favor the rapid 

 development of fungi, and with the presence of anay (white ants) tend 

 to shorten the duration of untreated timbers in almost every class of 

 construction, consequently hard durable timbers are sought for permanent 

 structures. 



2. The cost of extracting such timbers by crude methods (animal and 



10 On account of color and fine figure, when quarter sawn, the best grades of 

 the lauans are valuable for furniture, cabinet making, and fine classes of interior 

 finish, and are used extensively as such. 



11 See Foxworthy, F. W. Philippine Woods, This Journal 2 (1907) Botany 

 351-404, and Gardner, R. Mechanical Properties and Uses of Thirty-four Philip- 

 pine Woods, Bureau of Forestry (Philip.) Bull. 4 (1900) 1-66, for description of 

 the uses and mechanical properties of these woods. 



